The Unknown King
by HookfangTheAlpha
Summary: Joseph was a loyal and dutiful squire to his lord only to see him die at the hands of traitorous bannerman. Now he must go on a journey to bring his house from the ruins and chaos. On the journey however he will found out a secret about himself that may just save his house.
1. Appendix

Appendix

**The rulers and their courts**

**The DragonQueen**

-Daenerys Targaryen-First of her name,mother of dragons,blood of the dragon,Queen of Dragonstone

her kin:

-Aerys ll Targaryen- late king of Dragonstone,father of Daenerys

-{Queen Rhaella}: Wife of Aerys ll,Daenerys' mother,died after Daenerys' birth.

-{Rhaegar}: Daenerys' older brother,heir to Dragonstone,slain by Mark Baratheon in the battle Flames of Ashhall

Her court:

-Maester Aemon- healer and counselor,one hundred years old.

-Dolt Bynoe: Master of coin

Her sworn swords:

-Ser Jon Connington,also called Ser Griff,commander of the FlamingLeague,once a sellsword in the Golden Company

-Ser Lancel Carl

-Ser Strong Belwas

-Ser Jorah Mormont,once lord of Bear Island and sworn knight of the late Robert Baratheon,titles striped away from him by Robert

-Ser Daario Naharis,once a sellsword

-Ser Mero,called the Titan's Bastard

-Ser Barristan Selmy

-Ser Rikos Dyhro

-Ser Tiro Dyhro

The FlamingLeague:

-Ser Jon Connington,commander

-Ser Lancel Carl

-Ser Belwas

-Ser Daario

-Ser Mero

-Ser Rikos

-Ser Tiro

Her bannerman:

-Lord Gregor Forrester of house Forrester

-Lord Naga Grirath of house Grirath

-Prince Doran Martall of Dorne

The Targaryens are the blood of the dragon,descended from the high lords of the ancient Freehold of Valyria,their heritage marked by lilac,indigo and violet eyes and hair of silver-gold. To preserve their blood and keep it pure they marry brother to sister,cousin to cousin,uncle to niece. The founder of the dynasty,Aegon the Conqueror,took his sisters to wife and fathered sons on each. The Targaryen banner is a three-headed dragon,red on black,representing Aegon and his sisters. Their words are _Fire and Blood._

**The Eagle King**

-Talon Eagle,first of his name,king of EagleGuard,firstborn son of king Sam and queen Alla

-Sapphira,his wife

-Stryker Eagle,his younger brother

-Conner,his son,heir to EagleGuard

His council:

-Maester Gonet,healer

-Stryker,war councilor

His sworn swords:

-Ser Stryker Eagle,commander of the Eagle's Watch

-Ser Stone Cuto

-Ser Hunter Eras

-Ser Harry Eon

-Ser Mychel Pipper

-Ser Edric Storm,bastard son of the late Robert Barathoen,often called the stag's bastard

-Ser Ryam Grolad of house Hightower

-Ser Garin Toss

The Eagle's Watch:

-Ser Stryker,commander

-Ser Hunter

-Ser Edric

-Ser Harry

-Ser Mychel

His bannerman:

-Nyra Tytos,lady of Stormfast

-H'rath,lord of Oxmere

-Coryn,lord of the Cape

The Eagles were once thought to be close kin to the Ravens but that speculation was put to an end after Goldor the Godly and Raven the Dark fought in the war for the throne known as the War of the Kin. Their banner is a golden eagle with two swords formed as an X behind it. Their words are _feel our might._

**The Snow King**

-Bryan Snow,first of his name,king of Icewell,son of queen Dal and Lord Jon Snow

-Isobel Della,his wife

-Valla Snow,his sister

-Perros Snow,his brother

His council:

-Maester Luwin,healer,ninety nine years old

-Morgan Liddle,called Middle Liddle,treasurer,once a chief of a mountain clan

His sworn swords:

-Ser Perros,commander of the FrozenGuard

-Ser Shadd

-Ser Quent

-Ser Jacks

-Ser Robin,called the glacier

-Ser Errok,often called lord of the wildlings,was raised by wildings

-Ser Del

-Ser Mordeo

The FrozenGuard:

-Ser Perros,commander

-Ser Shadd

-Ser Errok

-Ser Robin

-Ser Quent

-Ser Jacks

His bannerman:

-Mya Stone,Lady of Longbow Hall,bastard daughter of the late Robert Baratheon

-Lyonel Corbray,lord of Heart's Home

-Gerold Grafton,lord of Gulltown

The Icewells are newly descendants of the now extinct Starks through the male line. Their banner is an icy blue tower on a snow white field. Their words are _Cold as ice_.

**Other houses Great and Small**

**House Forrester**

-Gregor Forrester,lord of house Forrester,First of his name,only son of Lord Thorren Forrester

-Lady Elissa,his wife,daughter of Lord Branfield and Talia Branfield

-Mira Forrester,his eldest daughter and was promised to Rhaegar

-Talia Forrester,youngest daughter

-Asher Forrester,eldest son,heir to house Forrester

-Ethan Forrester,youngest son

His sworn swords:

-Ser Royland,commander of the knights

-Ser Rickhard

-Ser Aegon,once an outlaw but saved Ethan

-Ser Geremy

-Ser Wendel

-Ser Elmar

His council:

-Duncan Tuttle,counselor and tutor

-Maester Ortengryn,healer

-Lotas,master of coin

His bannerman:

-Beric,lord of blackhaven

-Edric,lord of starfall

-Alfyn,lord of Snowridge,called the IcyDeath

-Leobald,lord of Torrhen Florent

-Martin,lord of Seagard

-Paul,lord of Branfield

-Galbart Glover,master of Deepwood Motte

House Forrester is an exiled noble house from the Wolfswood in the North. They were once bannermen of the Starks but lord Gregor's father's father married his daughter to King Aegon V Targaryen. Their sigil is a white ironwood tree on a black field embellished with a black sword pointed downwards. Their words are _Iron from Ice._

**House Grirath**

-Lord Naga Grirath,first of his name,lord of Grirath,second son of lord Ganta

-{Rolland Grirath},Naga's older brother,slain by Gavin in battle

-{Lady Barba},his wife,died giving birth

-{Lyla},his daughter,died soon after birth

-Scarlet,his eldest daughter

-Rick,only son,heir to house Grirath

His sworn swords:

-Ser James,commander of the knights,called the Tree

-Ser Podrick

-Ser Willem

-Ser Alaric,called the singer

-Ser Robin

-Ser Rodrick

His bannerman

-Eric,protector of Flint's finger

-Lady Jen,lady of honeyholt

-Lord Benjamin,lord of the HowlingFord

The Griraths were once thought to be long distant kin with the Targaryens. They trace their descendants back to Discord the Stone who was believed to be the bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen. He was once a king but defeated by Theon Stark,the Hungry Wolf. Their banner is a turquoise and red serpent leaping out of the sea. Their words are _Crush and kill._

**House Ravenfield**

-Rand Raven,second of his name,sole son of lord Randy and lady Mella,lord of RavenField

-Jenna,his wife

-Shane,his son,heir to RavenField

His sworn swords:

-Ser Finn Koval,commander of the knights

-Ser John,called the drunken oaf

-Ser Arthur

-Ser Trant Thornton

-Ser Soren Tytos,called the Owl,brother of Nyra

-Ser Grett

His bannerman:

-Kyle,called the NightWalker,Lord of night sept

-Boron,lord of Banefort

-Erik,lord of Faircastle

The Ravens are descendants of King Raven the Dark who went at war for three years with Goldor the Godly of EagleGuard for the throne but lost and have made the two mortal enemies. Their banner is a black raven flying over a field of ash. Their words are _Dark Wings,Dark Times._

**House Lannister**

-Tywin Lannister,lord of Casterly Rock

-Cersei Lannister,his daughter,widow of Robert Baratheon,twin to Jaime

-Jaime Lannister,commander of the Kingsguard,twin to Cersei

-Tyrion Lannister,called the Imp,heir to Crasterly Rock

His sworn swords:

-Ser Jamie,commander of the Kingsguard

-Ser Addam

-Ser Lorent

-Ser Garth

-Ser Raynard

-Ser Justin,called the Just

-Ser Tybolt

-Ser Meryn

The Kingsguard:

-Ser Jaime Lannister,commander

-Ser Lorent

-Ser Tybolt

-Ser Meryn

-Ser Addam

His bannerman

-Sebaston,lord of fair Isle

-Terrence,Lord of Kayce

-Lewys,lord of the Deep Den

-Regenard,lord of Wyndhall

The Lannisters of Casterly Rock boast of their descent from Lann the Clever the legendary trickster of the Age of heroes. The gold of Casterly Rock and the Golden Tooth has made them the wealthiest of the Great Houses. Their sigil is a golden lion upon a crimson field. Their words are _Hear me Roar!_

**House Lightbane**

-{Noah Light},lord of house Lightbane,first of his name,firstborn son of Lord Ben and lady Gali

His sworn swords:

-Ser Gavin,commander of the Light Unit

-Ser Joseph

-Ser Drake,called the Rock

-Ser Merek

-Ser Sadon

-Ser Rowan

-Ser Borin

-Ser Ronel

The Light Unit:

-Ser Gavin,commander

-Ser Joseph

-Ser Drake

-Ser Sadon

-Ser Ronel

His council:

-Omika,healer and tutor

-Djantak,smith

-Tembo,master of coin

His bannerman:

-Clifton,lord of Cliffscared

-John,lord of Longford

The Lights are one of the few houses that don't trace their descendants back to a king. The Lights had once been loyal to the Targaryens for a century until Shindol the Light turned away from them. Their banner is a bonfire with tall,bright orange-red flames. Their words are _Forever Eternal._

**House Redstone**

-Cedric Stone,lord of Hallword,third of his name,second son of lord William and lady Mary

-{Carac},his older brother,died at the battle of Augsburg

-Janet,his wife

-Krea,his daughter and only child,heir to house Hallword

His sworn swords:

-Ser Terrin,called the Bull,commander of the knights

-Ser Falk

-Ser Berinon

-Ser Quinn

-Ser Thomas

-Ser Beron

His bannerman:

-Walter Frey,lord of the crossing

-Peter,lord of Sunhouse

-Malta,lady of Templar

-Edmund,protector of Mowbray

The Stones are descendants of an ancient line of people called the Tauros who were believed to be more beast than man. Redstone was the last house to become apart of the Seven Kingdoms. Their banner is a brown bull standing on a rock pillar. Their words are _Charge,Chase,Conquer._

**House Baratheon**

-Mark Baratheon,Lord of House Baratheon,first of his name,second son of lord Steffon and Lady Cassana

-Ellia,his wife

-Delos,his son,heir to house Baratheon

-Jane,his daughter

His kin:

-{Robert Baratheon},his eldest brother,slain by Carac at the battle of Augsburg

-Stannis Baratheon,youngest brother

His sworn swords:

-Ser Stannis,commander of the Stags

-Ser Lomas

-Ser Terro,called the Shooting Star

-Ser Mikal

-Ser Dawyn

-Ser Nikol

-Ser Deenors

TheStags:

-Ser Stannis,commander of the Stags

-Ser Terro

-Ser Mikal

-Ser Deenors

His bannerman:

-Davos Seaworth,Lord of the Rainwood

-Elwood Meadows,Lord of the Grassfield Keep

-Ralph Buckler,lord of Bronzegate

-Ser Ronnet Connington,called Red Ronnet,the knight of Griffin's Roost

The youngest of the Great Houses,House Baratheon was born during the Wars of Conquest when Orys Baratheon rumored to be a bastard brother of Aegon the Conqueror defeated and slew Argilac the Arrogant the last Storm King. Aegon rewarded him with Argilac's castle,lands and daughter. Orys took the girl to bride and adopted the banner and words of her line. Their sigil is a crowned stag,black on a golden field. Their words are _Ours is the fury._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A taste of betrayal and death

**Author's note: In this story I will be using game of throne characters from the books,tv show and game. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_Another day that i'll be serving my lord._

The night was very young,only just appearing,and he wanted nothing more than to sit and relax. But because he was a squire and the circumstances,he could not do such a thing. Today was the wedding of Robb Stark,King of the North and Eva,princess of house Florent and since his lord was one of Robb's bannermans,he had to stay here. His name was Joseph,squire of Noah lord of house Dynasty. Some might say that being a squire,especially for a lord,would be the worst thing in the world but honestly it wasn't all that bad.

The lord himself was kind and gentle to all people and very few people in Dynasty's army were complete arses. He grabbed a flagon of wine from a wooden table,poured it in a cup then went towards the lord's tent. It was pretty hard to miss.

It was the biggest one,with the house's official sigil of flames crackling on a pile of wood,and colors to match the flames. He removed the flap of the front of the tent and went inside,looking around. The inside of the tent somehow looked bigger than the outside of the tent. It was lit with a few lamps,had a small round table in it and a tall,wooden chair with sheepskin on it.

In the chair was Noah,his lord. He was tall,tanned,well-built with short brown hair and green eyes. Beside him was ser Gavin,Noah's captain of the knights and best friend. he was also tall and well-built but he was pale,had long blond hair and brown eyes.

Noah saw Josep coming in and smiled. "I see you've brought my wine."he said with a smile. "Yes and red wine your favourite m'lord."Joseph said to him,handing him the cup. He swirled the wine around a bit then took a sip. Then he peered over the rim at Joseph. "You haven't been sleeping much,have you?"he asked. Joseph didn't think the dark bags under his eyes were that bad.

"I don't need to sleep when I serve my lord."Joseph replied. Noah laughed. "Save your courtesies for a simple-minded lord. In my presence,you'll speak your mind or not speak at all." Joseph scuffed nervously around and decided to do what his lord commanded. "With the amount of serving I had to do it is hard to sleep or even take a rest."he said honestly. Noah looked at him for such a long time that Joseph was starting to think that he had said the wrong thing. At last he spoke. "Then starting now,you will have no more lords to serve. Ser Gavin,tell all the other lords that Joseph will be on break." Gavin nodded and walked out of the tent.

Once he was gone,Noah looked at Joseph. "Joseph,you have served me for ten years and been nothing but loyal. Therefore I have decided to make you a knight." The shock that he felt must've shown on his face because Noah smiled. "Yes you heard me correctly." "But m'lord-" "No buts Joseph. Me and Gavin have already discussed this and we both know you'll make a great knight."Noah said in the voice that meant his desicion was staying the same.

Joseph was beyond shocked. It was completely normal for a squire to become a knight but Joseph always thought that he would never become a knight. And,if he had to be honest with himself,he didn't want to be a knight. Most people wanted to be a knight so they could protect their lord,gain glory or get women to their beds. But Joseph was craven and would be much happier serving his lord in the castle than going out and dying. But something like this was not something you could just say,"No thank you." So instead,Joseph bowed his head and said,"I thank you m'lord. I promise to be the best knight I can."

When he lifted his head,he saw Noah gazing at him with something like...pride in his eyes. Joseph was confused but didn't say anything. Just then,Gavin came back in the tent. He took one look between Joseph and Noah and asked,"Did you tell him?" "Yes I did."Noah replied. Gavin looked at him with a half smile. He extended his hand and said,"Welcome to the knighthood." Joseph took his hand and gave him a nervous smile. "Well,with all that done you may go and rest."Noah told Joseph. He nodded then turned and walked to the entrance. "Oh and Joseph,"Noah called out. Joseph turned around and looked at Noah. "Don't tell anyone else ab-"

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"someone shouted outside the tent. All three of them shared a split second look before Noah jumped out of his chair and both him and Gavin unsheathed their swords and rushed out the tent,with Joseph following them.

His eyes widened at the sight before him.

Knights of house Dynasty were fighting desperately against the knights of house RavenField,another one of Robb's bannermans.

_They've...turned against us_ Joseph thought in horror.

"Seven hells…"Gavin muttered. "Those backstabbing ravens! They always said that a raven could never be trusted."Noah growled angrily. He raised his sword high above his head and roared,"We are eternal!"before running to fight with his knights. Gavin roared the house's battle cry and charged towards the enemy. Joseph wanted to run,to fight,to help but his legs wouldn't move.

_ Move you pathetic excuse of a knight!_ He screamed to himself. He shook his head and ran through the battlefield,afraid that if he stopped he would freeze in fear and die. _Look for a sword_ a voice in his head said.

He looked around frantically for a discarded sword. He soon found one near the dead,bloodied body of a RavenField knight. He knelt down beside the body and gingerly picked up the sword while trying not to touch the dead body. Once he got the sword he looked for Noah,caught sight of them and ran towards them. Noah was with Gavin,fighting against eight RavenField knights. "My lord!"Joseph shouted,running to them.

Noah turned his head in his direction while somehow fighting a RavenField knight. "Joseph,look out!"he shouted. Joseph looked to his sides and saw an enemy knight rushing towards him. The knight slashed his sword at Joseph and he blocked the blow. The knight narrowed his eyes then drew back his sword and thrusted it at Joseph's chest. Joseph stepped to the side then slashed his sword at the knight's hip.

The knight screamed in pain as blood sprayed from the wound and he fell to his knees. Joseph kicked the sword far from the knight then turned to look at his lord. Noah had just dealt the final blow to a RavenField knight and looked at Joseph with a smile. Despite everything that was happening,Joseph gave him a half smile.

Then Noah's face contorted in pain and he screamed in agony as a RavenField knight plunged his sword into Noah's shoulder blade. Time felt like it slowed down as another RavenField knight sliced his sword across Noah's left thigh. He dropped down on his knees,screaming,while another knight brought her sword above Noah's head,ready to deal the killing blow.

"My lord!"Joseph cried and ran to his lord but knew that he wouldn't make it. The knight brought down her sword...only for it to be blocked by Gavin. He pushed the sword away and,with rapid speed,killed two of the knights. The last knight slowly backed away from Gavin but right into Joseph's attack.

He thrust the sword into the knight's chest,pulled it out and the knight fell to the ground,lifeless. Gavin had one of the lord's arms around his shoulder and in a steady hold when Joseph reached them. "My lord,we have to get you out of here."Gavin was saying to Noah. Joseph took Noah's other arm,put it on his shoulder and they jogged at a steady pace while Noah hopped on his unwounded leg.

Joseph looked behind him and saw at least a dozen RavenField knights running after them. "Gavin,we have a dozen knights on our arses and gaining!"Joseph said to Gavin. He turned around and saw that dozen knights running after them. Continuing to jog,he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted,"Protect the lord!"

Every Dynasty knight that heard Gavin's cry quickly rushed to their lord's aid.

They rammed into the pursing RavenField knights and fought them,giving Gavin,Noah and Joseph a distraction to run into the woods. They ran for two minutes before Noah said,"Stop." Gavin and Joseph shared a look but did as he commanded. He pushed himself off of them and got down on one knee.

"My lord we must hurry before the knights come looking for you-" "Joseph,"Noah cut off. "I am dying. There is no way you can save me." "No we can. There should be a town two miles from here. We can still save you."Joseph protested. "Joseph by the time we got to the town,I will have already have died from blood loss. There is no way you can save me."Noah said. Joseph wanted to argue,tell him that he was wrong but he knew that Noah was right.

A long,heavy silence filled the air.

"Joseph,take my sword."Noah said,removing it from his belt. Joseph looked at his greatsword,Eternal Iron,for a long while before taking it. Then Noah began coughing,hoarse and raspy coughs. Gavin went to soothe him but Noah stopped him. Finally when he stopped coughing,he looked up to Joseph and spoke.

"Go to the kingdom Icewell. Find a lady named Lila and she will tell you everything."he said,his voice getting more coarse. Joseph nodded. "I well."he assured him. Noah nodded then turned to Gavin. "Gavin,my captain and oldest friend,teach Joseph the ways of a knight and protect him from harm. Promise me that." "I promise."Gavin swore. Noah nodded satisfied then extended his hand to Gavin. Gavin clasped Noah's hand firmly and they hugged,a manly sort of hug.

After a moment they pulled away as the shouts of multiply people were heard. "They're coming!"Joseph exclaimed. "You must go now,"Noah said to them then looked at Joseph. "Joseph,do not forget what I told you and remember our house's words: Forever eternal." "Forever eternal."Joseph and Gavin repeated in unison. The shouts were getting louder. "Now go! I'll distract them long enough to give you some time."Noah said,slowly getting up.

Joseph didn't want to leave his lord alone against god knows how many armed knights but he knew that he would only get himself,Gavin and his lord killed. He and Gavin turned away then ran off. He turned back only once to see Noah grappling a sword from a RavenField knight only to get stabbed in the back by another. He fell to the ground soundlessly and Joseph turned away so he couldn't see his lord.

But he couldn't block his ears to cancel the horrible laughter of the murderous and traitorous RavenFields.

* * *

**Glossary**

**Craven=coward**


	3. Take over

Chapter 2

Take over

_What in the seven kingdoms are those damn knights of mine doing to take so long?!_

Rand,lord of RavenField,was not a very patient man and his knights were trying whatever bit of patience he had. _They better have killed Noah and every single one of those Dynasty knights_ he thought. He felt a smooth and soft hand over his and looked to his left.

His wife,Jenna,was looking at him with concern. "Are you alright,my love?"she asked him. Rand smiled at her. Tall and slender with pale and fair skin,bright green eyes and long brown wavy hair,Jenna was what most men would call 'a woman from a dream' or 'dream wife'. "I'm fine honey."he said. She looked him over before nodding and removing her hand from his.

A loud creak echoed through the throne room as the two enormous doors opened and,at last,his knights arrived. "My lord."Ser Finn,his captain of the knights,greeted and they all bowed. "What in the seven kingdoms took you all so long?!"Rand yelled angrily.

"My lord,their were more Dynasty knights than we last counted and a hundred or so EagleGuard knights."Finn replied. Rand was trying his hardest not to roll his eyes. "I trust that Noah is dead?"he said. "Yes m'lord."Finn answered. "However,their captain and Noah's squire have escaped." "The squire is of no interest to me,"Rand said. "Gavin,on the other hand,may prove a problem if not caught."

"Would you like me to organize a search party?"Finn asked him. "Soon. But the citizens of Lightbane must be frightened without a lord to protect them. I think it's time they got a lord. Finn,gather the knights,head over to Lightbane and storm the kingdom. Any Dynasty knight that swears fealty to me is not to be harmed. I will not be able to rule Lightbane for I have to stay here so in my absence,you will rule Lightbane. If I have to tell you anything or you hear any news,send a message to me right away. And remember our house's words: Dark wings,dark times."he told Finn.

"Dark wings,dark times."they all repeated in unison. Finn nodded then turned to his knights. "You heard the lord! Get the others ready and prepare to march to Lightbane!" "Yes ser Finn."they answered then they turned and walked back out the door. Once they left,Jenna looked at Rand.

"My lord,with all due respect,our son isn't old enough to rule and won't be for a long time. Should you and I be killed,our enemies can regain the kingdom back. So why do you want to take over another kingdom?"she asked him. "You said it yourself Jenna. Shane is and won't be able to rule for a long time. So I will keep the Lightbane kingdom under my rule with someone I know I can trust until he can rule on his own."Rand said to her. "But if our son rules the Lightbane kingdom,when we die who will rule our kingdom?"she asked.

"We will wait and see if Shane produces two boys or a boy and a girl. If he does both kingdoms will go in each of their names,keeping our bloodline as powerful as it has always been. If not well,I'll leave the castle with someone who has been loyal to us and will support Shane no matter what ,"Rand replied. "Though with Noah's best knight on the loss I cannot wait for Shane to come of age to rule the kingdom. From what I learned about Gavin he's loyal to the bone to his lord and that type of loyalty can most definitely cause trouble for us."he added.

Jenna nodded and they stayed silent for a long amount of time. "Well,I will go to see how Shane is doing."Jenna said almost randomly. She got up from her throne and walked off. Rand watched her go before going back to his thoughts. _Once I have Lightbane under my rule,I'll extend my rule to the other kingdoms and I will rule all!_


	4. A dream or a vision?

Chapter 3

A dream or a vision?

* * *

"Gavin how are we going to find Icewell without a map?"Joseph asked. About an hour ago,they had finally gotten out of the forest and were travelling on a road called Winded Way,which according to Gavin,was supposed to lead to a town called Easthaven.

"Don't worry Joseph,I've travelled long before you were even born."Gavin said to him. "You don't know how to find Icewell,do you."Joseph said. "Joseph,do you doubt me?"he asked in a playful manner. When he looked at Joseph and saw the seriousness on his face,all playfulness vanished from his face.

"Alright. I haven't been to Icewell in my life. Noah had gone there once when I was still a suckling babe."Gavin admitted. "Seven hells,we're lost!"Joseph exclaimed. He was losing more and more hope that they would find Icewell by the minute.

Gavin raised his hand and smacked him in the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?!"Joseph asked.

"If you wish to be a knight you must learn to have faith in yourself and others,otherwise you'll never be able to trust yourself or those with you."Gavin instructed. "Ok I get it. Have faith. Though,it's kind of hard to have faith when we don't know how to get to Icewell."Joseph said.

Gavin smacked him in the back of his head again.

"What did I just tell you? Have faith!" "Alright,alright! We're going to find Icewell. Happy?"Joseph asked him. "That's a start,"Gavin said. "Once we get to Easthaven,we'll ask people for directions on how to get to Icewell." "You know that no one gives information for free Gavin."Joseph told him.

In most towns,getting something as simple as directions would cost them a silver stag or even a gold dragon.

"That's why I'm always one step ahead."Gavin said,holding up two little bags full of coins. He put them back in his pocket and they rode the rest of the way in silence.

Around noon,maybe a little bit later,they had finally reached Easthaven.

It looked like every other town. Big,full of commoners,small markets and drunken men. "Now I'll find the Silver Snake inn and some directions inside the inn while you try and get some directions to Icewell." "Me?!"Joseph said,looking at him like he was crazy. "Yes you Joseph."Gavin said. "Shouldn't you do it since you're the knight and people are more likely to obey,respect and give you directions than me?"Joseph said.

"I could. But if I do that you'll never have confidence in yourself. As for obedience and respect,a knight must earn it from the people. Plus if you ask for directions in an inn no one will probably answer you."he added. Joseph knew he was right but that didn't make him anymore confident. "I'll give ya a little tip when doing stuff like this. One: Only use your money as a last resort and two: Don't look intimidated or scared."Gavin told him.

Joseph nodded then Gavin gave him one of the bags of money before leaving.

_You can do this_ Joseph told himself then walked into the town. He looked around for a moment then decided to ask the drunken men first for directions._ I might not only get some directions for them but some other useful information as well._ He walked up to them.

One was a tall and muscular man with tanned skin,brown hair and brown eyes. The other man was tall as well but was skinny with pale skin,short black hair and brown eyes. "Excuse me sirs,"Joseph said. "Do you know how to get to Icewell?"

The skinny man looked at him. "Why would er want to go...to Icewell?" The muscular man went to hit him but missed by a mile. "Leave thee man...alone,"he slurred. "I know how to get to Icewell." "You do?"Joseph asked,feeling more hopeful than he had in two days. "Yeah. Just go by a well and wait for winter!"The man said before roaring with laughter.

The other man joined him and they laughed as if that was the most hilarious joke in history. Joseph's mood instantly soured but he didn't show them that. "Thank you for your time."he told them dryly before leaving. After looking around some more,he went over to an old woman to ask for directions. "Icewell eh?"the elderly woman was missing some of her teeth so her speech was somewhat off.

"If my old memory serves me right,from here you have to take a boat north across the Raging Sea towards Dragonstone,the home of the Targaryens. Then take a boat west across the Blackwater Bay to the Claws,go past the kingdom EagleGuard then take the spiral road and you'll get to Icewell."Joseph nodded in thanks then decided to give the woman a silver stag as a form of gratitude.

_ I'll still go ask a few more people,in case that woman was wrong_ Joseph decided. He had spent a good ten minutes asking six people for directions to Icewell. Three of the people had said the exact same directions as the old woman,one rambled about some long ago ice dragon and the other two simply told him to go away...in a very impolite manner.

Him and Gavin met at the entrance of the Silver Snake inn. "What did you learn?"Gavin asked him. "Four people said that we have to take a boat north from here across the Raging Sea to Dragonstone then take another boat west across Blackwater Bay to the Claws to the kingdom EagleGuard then take Spiral road and you'll get to Icewell."Joseph told him. "That's what some of them told me as well,"Gavin said. "How much coins did we lose?" "Only one silver stag."Joseph replied. Gavin nodded. "Alright,we'll grab some things from the markets,rent a room then first thing tomorrow morning we head straight to the docks."

Joseph nodded then they walked over to the markets. The markets was crowded with customers,merchants and small malls. The malls ranged from foods to live animals.

They bought rabbit,duck,chicken,bread and cheese from the food mall,healing herbs and bandages from a potion mall. Then they got two big bags,gloves and a long blanket from the clothes mall. "Ok,I think we got enough for now."Gavin said.

Joseph nodded then they headed back to the Silver Snake inn. Inside was the exact same as every inn. Loud,a bit smelly and full of drunken men and half-naked or naked whores. They walked up to the counter. A small,skinny,black woman was behind the counter,looking so miserable that Joseph couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Welcome to the Silver Snake. How may I help you?"she said in a dead voice. "We'll have some bread and cheese with a cup of ale."Gavin told her then placed a silver stag on the counter. The woman looked at the silver stag in shock,as if no one had ever paid a silver stag,then her face seemed to morph back to grumpy as she took the silver stag and went back into the kitchen.

"If there's one thing I know won't be a problem for becoming a knight is being able to drink a gallon of ale."Joseph joked. "Just don't drink it on the job."Gavin said. Once their dinners were served,they scarfed it down like savage wolves. They then washed their meal down with the ale.

Joseph nearly gagged at the first swallow.

It was strong and felt like he was swallowing fire. "Gavin,"Joseph said to him when they finished everything. "Why would Lord Noah want us to find a lady in Icewell?"He found that odd everytime he thought of Noah's last command. "Maybe Noah wants us to find something out from her."Gavin replied.

That made it even odder if that was really the reason. They got up from the counter,thanked the lady for their meal and headed to their room. The room was small,just big enough for two people,with one window,one medium-sized bed,a nightstand and a dim lighted lamp. Both him and Gavin looked at the bed,then at each other then quickly away.

"Do you wish to share the bed?"Gavin asked him awkwardly. "If there's enough space then yes."Joseph replied just as awkwardly. Gavin went to the door to lock it then got into the bed. Joseph got into the bed and the moment his head hit the pillow he fell asleep.

* * *

The dream that he dreamt was beyond bizarre. He was a jet black panther,sleek and fast,running through some forest. He could smell the smells of the forest and animals and see things ten times better. Soon enough,he burst out of the forest and ran up a high hill. When he reached the top,he stopped and let the bright,warm sunlight bathed his face.

Suddenly,he heard a loud and thunderous roar from above. He looked up and saw a dragon flying overhead. It had a pale underside with simmering silver scales. The dragon was beautiful beyond words.

The dragon folded its wings and dove towards the hill. Once it was close,it flared its wings open and slowly descended on the hill. The dragon turned its head and he saw its purple amethyst eyes. Somehow,he knew the dragon was a female. She brought her muzzle to his and they nuzzled each other.

Another cry,this one high and shrill,sounded and both Joseph and the dragon looked up to see an eagle diving towards them. It landed on the dragon's shoulder and preened its pale near white feathers. It turned to Joseph and he could see its years of wisdom and courage in its eyes. Once more a cry which undoubtedly belonged to a wolf sounded and all three looked to the left.

The wolf was big,half the size of him,with dark brown fur and icy blue eyes. The wolf inclined its head to him and he returned the gesture. He didn't understand why...but he felt at ease with them near him. He felt like they were his allies. He looked ahead and saw a lion,raven,bull and stag on another hill not far from them. His hackles raised and he bared his teeth at them. He somehow knew that they were his enemies and he wasn't having them hurt his allies or anyone close to him.

He raised his head up and roared loudly. All of them,allies and enemies,roared as one enough to make the very ground beneath them tremble and ran towards the others,praying for victory and death.

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry I took so long to upload but I'll be uploading two or more chapters today so I hope it'll make up for it. Also I want to be clear on something since a few people have been asking. In this story,there is no Iron Throne or one king rules all of Westeros. There are three kings and they rule their kingdoms and lords. The rest are only lords that rule their house and lands.**


	5. A dragon coronation

Chapter 4

A dragon coronation

"Drogon,what has been going on with you lately?"Daenerys asked her dragon. Daenerys Targaryen,soon-to-be queen of Dragonstone,was feeding her three dragons: Drogon,Viserion and Rhaegal.

Lately however,Drogon had been acting very aggressively to anyone other than Daenerys. Drogon looked at her for a moment then went right back to his meal. She sighed and scratched his neck. "My lady?"a soft voice called.

Daenerys turned around to see Aemon,their maester,standing behind her. She got up and hugged him. "Hello Aemon."she greeted. "And to you too,Daenerys."Aemon said to her with a kind smile on his face. "

Your father and the High Septon are waiting for you."She nodded and they walked back to the castle.

She heard the flaps of leathery wings and didn't have to look up to know that Drogon was following her. Out of her three dragons Drogon was,without a doubt,her closet one.

Wherever she went he followed.

They reached the castle and headed to the throne room. The huge golden doors opened slowly to reveal the throne room. It was,for sure,the biggest room in the castle,to accompany the king or queen's dragons,with two solid gold thrones decorated with red rubies and black obsidians on a tall platform,a crystal chandelier,a long red rung on the center of the floor and a dozen or more tapestries of the entire Targaryen family hung on the wall.

On one of the thrones was her father,King Aerys II with his dragon,Malmor beside him. He was pale with long silver hair that was beginning to turn white and purple eyes. Malmor was big,a foot or so taller than Drogon,with dark blue scales,a pale underside and red eyes.

Beside him was ser Jon Connington also called ser Griff,his most loyal knight and commander of the FlamingLeague. He was tall,handsome,pale,had short brown hair and icy,pale blue eyes. In front of the platform was Lord Gregor of house Forrester with his oldest daughter and son,Asher and Mira,and Lord Naga of house Girarth,his bannermen.

Lord Gregor was tall,comely,pale with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was a wise,stern and kind lord and a longtime friend of Aerys. Lord Naga was not as tall as most men but wasn't short either,tan,comely with short blond hair and pale green eyes.

Mira was up to Gregor's shoulder in height,slender,pale skinned and had long brown hair and pale green eyes. She was a kind,gentle person and probably Daenerys' only true friend. She had been promised to Rhaegar,her brother,but he had died before they could marry. Asher was taller than Mira but still a quarter shorter than his father,handsome,slender but muscular,pale scared skinned and had short blond hair and an unshaven beard and pale green eyes.

Daenerys had learned from Mira that Asher was a rebellious youth and still was but he was a great fighter. She nodded at them and curtsied to her father. Her father smiled as he looked at her.

"Daenerys,you look well today,"he father complimented. "I'm assuming you know what today is?" "My coronation."she answered. Aerys nodded.

"You know that my time here is short and with your brother...gone,you must claim the throne. I knew from the moment that you handled that brewing fight between Gregor and Naga that you were fit to be a ruler."he praised her.

Daenerys warmed at the praise.

"Anyway let us get this coronation started."Aerys said standing up from his throne and walking,his dragon following him. Daenerys followed behind him and Gregor,Naga,Mira and Asher followed behind her,though they all made sure to stay far away from Drogon. They all walked to the courtyard.

It was big,like everything in Dragonstone,flowers were planted on the sidelines,as where all the knights and guards were standing,sunny,warm and windy.

At the front of the courtyard,her family's crown was placed on top of a small pedestal. It was gold decorated with black swirls on it,like wisps of smoke,and one large red ruby on the front. She and the High Septon continued to walk up as the others stayed behind, Once they reached the crown,the High Septon took it in his hands and turned to her.

"Daenerys,do you swear to lead your kingdom to greatness,to care for you people and rule with wisdom and justice?"he said,reciting the ancient words for a coronation,his voice booming across the courtyard. "I do swear!"Daenerys answered just as loud.

"Then I crown you as Queen Daenerys Targaryen,First of her name,mother of dragons and blood of the dragon."he said then placed the crown lightly on her head. She turned towards her people.

"All hail Queen Daenerys!"Ser Griff exclaimed and went on one knee. "All hail Queen Daenerys!"the rest exclaimed and went down on one knee. Her father looked at her with a fierce pride in her eyes.

To her left,Drogon and Malmor looked like they were having a little conversation. A moment after,Malmor bowed his head respectively to Drogon who craned his neck up,flared his wings and roared.

"Fire and Blood!"Daenerys yelled fiercely. "Fire and Blood!"the others replied just as fierce.

* * *

**Author's note: Just to let you all know,in this story every Targaryen has a dragon**.


	6. Smooth sailing

Chapter 5

Smooth sailing

"With the luck we're having,I'll be surprised if we reach Dragonstone before I grow old and feeble."Gavin commented.

Earlier this morning,they had searched the docks for anyone willing to take them to Dragonstone for no more than three silver stags. It had taken a whole hour before they found a captain who would take them. "I won't take three silver stags though,"he had said. "I'll do it for four silver stags." So they argued for some time until they came to an agreement of three stags.

They boarded the SeaWrath and set sail at once. For thirty minutes straight they had no problems and had,what the captain and crew called, 'smooth sailing'. But then the wind died down and the ship was slowly drifting gods know where. "Aye,but we men don't and can't control the wind."Sealegs,the ship's captain,replied.

"Why don't we eat some lunch to vanquish our worries and fill our tummies."he laughed and walked below deck to the kitchen. "Well he has a point. Might as well eat something."Joseph agreed and followed the captain. The kitchen was small but had a homey feeling to it,filled with amazing smells and a crew of twenty men.

He looked around for either an empty or half empty table. When he found an empty one he gestured to Gavin before sitting down. No sooner after they sat down did two other crewmen join them. "Morning boys."a short,thin,pale skinned,brown eyed man with short hair dyed in blue named Skipper greeted them. "Morning Skipper."they greeted back. The other man,who was tall,broad,young,dark-skinned,brown eyed with short black hair named Giant turned to the cook.

"Spice! Get us the fish special!"Spice nodded and got straight to cooking. Giant turned back to them. "Looks like the wind god is mad at us today."he said in his gruff voice. "Wind god?"Gavin asked confused. "Of course you land legs wouldn't know about our gods,"Skipper said chuckling.

"We sailors have three gods: The wind god,storm god and the sea god. The wind god provides us wind so we may sail. The storm god shows his wrath by sending storms and the sea god gives us the sea so we may go from one place to another and fish so we may eat."he explained.

_ I had always thought sailors shared the same gods as us_ Joseph thought. _Guess I was wrong._ Giant looked at them closely. "What's er names and where are ya from?"he asked,so casually that Joseph would've answered right away had he not watched how Giant was watching them with narrowed eyes filled with suspicion. _I don't think we can trust this man_ Joseph thought. "We are villagers from Windale."he answered. "Windale? You don't look like a Windale villager."Giant pressed.

Joseph now struggled to make a believable lie.

Thankfully,Gavin saved him the trouble of that. "Looks like our lunch is here."he announced as Spice brought over their lunch. The fish special was fried trout served in hot fish oil with chopped onions and carrots and a cup of wine. Joseph took a bite of the fish and nearly sighed. It was delicious! "This is delicious!"Joseph exclaimed. "Indeed. My compliments to the cook."Gavin added. "That's Spice for ya. Give him only some salt and an onion and he'll somehow make a meal out of it."Skipper said.

Joseph turned to look at Giant and saw he was still watching them. He isn't going to give up. Extremely uncomfortable,he asked,"How did you become a sailor?" Giant looked at him with shock,as if he wasn't used to people asking a question like that,but answered either way.

"I was once a cook for Lord Rick of house Karhold. Not as good as Spice,mind ya,but decent enough. One day,the lord of Redstone came to Karhold to talk about terms and alliances. I went to serve the dishes for the feast and the minute he tasted it he began whining like a child. 'Where did you get your cook?' 'Turnip soup more like pheasant filth.' He went as far as saying, 'If I wasn't a generous man I'd take back whatever land I just gave you.' After hearing that,the lord wasn't taking any chances. After all,he had been called Rick the landless lord by other lords because of how little land he owned.

So he threw me out of his castle with barely enough coin to feed me for a week. So I wandered around the town for three days and then Sealegs found me. He offered me a job as master-at-arms for his crew and I've been with him ever since." Joseph never went nor saw Karhold but he knew a little about their history and people.

They traced their descent to Karlon Stark,a younger son of Winterfell who had put down a rebel lord a thousand years ago and had been granted land for his valor. Over the centuries the Karhold Starks had become Karstarks. Ever since then,they believed that they were the kin of the Starks. "I'm sorry for that."Gavin said sincerely. "Don't be. I found my true calling here."Giant replied. "Perhaps...you can practice with me on the morrow?"Joseph asked. After all,if he was going to be on this ship he might as well get as much training as possible.

Giant gave him a half smile,all his earlier suspicion gone. "Sure no problem." "Aye ya lazy dogs,"someone shouted from the stairs. "The wind god has brought us wind!" A cheer broke out through the sailors as they got up from their seats and went to the deck. The wind was indeed back,strong as ever,pushing the ship with it. Happy that things were,at last,looking up he raised his arm and shouted,"Smooth sailing ahead!" A few echoed the shout as the others laughed joyously.


	7. A Vanquished Light

Chapter 6

A vanquished light

_Hopefully this battle will be quick so I can sleep on a nice,soft bed_ Finn thought tiredly. He had been marching to Lightbane for a week and two days straight.

His knights had stopped for the night as Finn waited in his tent for his scouts to come back with whatever information they got. "Captain Finn."he heard someone say.

He turned around and nearly jumped back in fright.

Ser Soren Tytos,who most often called the Owl and rightfully so with his useful but also inconvenient silent movements,had been practically right in his face. He quickly regained his composure. "What is it Soren?"he asked. "The scouts are back."Soren replied,his lips twisted in a small smile.

_ He knew that he had frightened me and it amuses him. The bloody bastard._

"Bring them then."Finn said annoyed. He nodded then turned to the flap of the tent and said something. Three scouts entered in the tent. "What information do you have?"Finn asked them not wanting to waste another second. "Their strength is about six thousand and the walls are strong and smooth so we cannot climb them."one of them said. There goes that plan Finn said to himself. "How about a siege?" "They're well provisioned and even have a farm inside their walls."another answered.

_What damn castle has a farm inside the walls?!_ Finn thought incredulously.

"Anything else? How many stand guard,can the gate be breached,is there a secret passageway,can we force our way in?" "Six guards stand at the gate. Two inside the walls,two outside and two bowman stand on the walls. The gate is made of iron so our batterram would most likely shatter. There is no secret passageway from what we see. As for your last question,it is indeed possible that we can force our way in."the third scout said.

_But we'd lose the element of surprise. If we can't break the gate,starve them out, or sneak in we might as well turn back and be done with it_ Finn said to himself. But he knew that Rand wouldn't like that at all. "What will we do captain?"Soren asked him. There is only one option left. He turned to the scouts. "I thank you for this information. You may leave now." They bowed their heads then turned and left.

He turned then to Soren.

"Summon Arthur,Grett and Lord Boron and we'll talk about a strategy."Finn ordered. Soren nodded and walked tent. "So much for Noah being stupid,Rand."Finn mumbled. Rand had often said that Noah's stupidity was the only thing that outranked his honor. From what Finn was hearing about his castle,it seemed that Noah was smarter than most. Rand probably said those things because of his resentment for Noah. It wasn't hard to see that Rand hated Noah.

The first reason was because rumors had it that Noah had named some maiden,who Rand was also in love with,his love and beauty in a tourney. Rand had resented him for many years after that. Once he married Jenna,however,those feelings of resentment slowly faded. Then when Noah one day came to RavenField to Rand with terms to their alliance,Rand felt insulted. "

You want to give me a barren wasteland for a quarter of my most flourished lands?!"he bellowed angrily. "You must have lost your wits as well as your wife!" Ser Gavin had risen his sword and took a threatening step towards Rand. Finn went to challenge Gavin,when Noah had told him to step down. "But if we are to make an alliance we must have some agreeable terms."Noah told him. "Agreeable terms!? You call these agreeable terms!? This is a bloody insult! Bugger your terms and this alliance. Here are my terms: Leave my lands at once and never come back or I'll have all your heads on pikes."Rand threatened.

So they left that very night. Finn never forgot Noah giving Rand one last look not of anger,pity or disgust but...sadness.

"You called us captain?"a voice sounded. Finn snapped out of his flashback and looked to see Ser Arthur Sarl,Ser Grett Willton and Lord Boron Collins. Arthur was tan with dull green eyes and a short black beard and short black hair. He was also tall and muscular,the type of man you wanted on your side in a battle.

Ser Grett was as tall as Arthur but nearly as muscular as him with bright blue eyes and as bald as an egg. He was quick with a sword but not with his wits. Lastly was Boron,the lord of Banefort and bannerman of Rand. He was average height,with a long black beard and hair that were turning white with age,pale skin with few wrinkles and black eyes. It was known and said that lord Boron was a kind and just lord,like the late Eddark Stark,and as wise as a maester.

"Yes I did. We must discuss how we plan to take Lightbane. According to the scouts,six guards guard the gate,we cannot climb the walls. Doing a siege is impossible for they have more provisions than us,the gate cannot be breached and there is no secret passageway."he informed them. "Do we know at the very least what their strength is?"Boron asked. "My scouts tell me about six thousand."Finn replied.

Boron nodded then his eyes became distant as he thought of something.

"What if one of us act as a travelling merchant,ask the guards to open the gate then kill them so the rest can get in?"Arthur suggested. _That actually isn't a bad plan_ Finn thought. _Only…_

"The gate of Lightbane is a mile from its market if not less. Should any smallfolk be wandering about they will see and alert the knights,giving them time to rally up."Finn said. "Screw the secrecy. Let's attack them on the morrow!"Grett told them. _You really are dim-witted,Grett_ Finn thought. "You fool! If we attack them in the morning they'll be prepared. We want them to be disorganised and disoriented."Finn told him with very little patience. "However,given the circumstances,our two options are: Use one of our people to act as a travelling merchant or wait until morning."Boron said.

Finn knew Boron was right but he didn't like either option for both had too big of risks. But it's either those two or leave and admit defeat. "We shall go with Arthur's plan,"Finn said to them. "Though none of us can go,for we are Rand's knights nor can yours Boron. We'll send in the scouts." They all agreed with that. "Soren bring me the scouts."Finn commanded. Ser Soren nodded then exited the tent. "First thing I'll do once we get the castle is find a woman and fuck her."Arthur said laughing.

Finn couldn't help but laugh with him.

Boron shook his head in disappointment.

Soon,the scouts entered the tent. "Do you three have weapons?"Finn asked. They reached into their tunics and produced a dagger each. "Soren give one of them a crossbow."Finn told him. Soren went over to the weapon rack,took a crossbow then turned and gave it to the one on the left. "You,"Finn said to the one with the crossbow. "Take out the two bowmen and any unwanted attention. You two will kill the guards. Once they are dead,one of you come back. Also find a horse with a cart attached to it,to make the merchant story more believable."he ordered.

They nodded and left the tent.

he turned to the men around him. "Boron,have all your men that are horseback at the ready. Arthur,gather our men that are horseback and Grett get those that are afoot ready. Once the gate is open,Boron will send his horseback men into the kingdom. Once they go Arthur,you'll send our horseback men through. After I will lead half of the men afoot through.

Grett,you will stay here with the other half and make sure no one escapes or any ravens are sent."Finn said. They all nodded and turned to leave,though Finn noticed the barely restrained rage in Grett's eyes as he left. _And I cannot blame him Finn told himself. A knight's dance should be with a sword in his hand._

But he couldn't bother with Grett's anger right now,not when they were about to take over a kingdom. He walked out the tent and looked at the men before him.

_Some will see and live to tell the victory we are about to grasp. Others will die and see and tell only those in the afterlife. _

Five minutes after,Boron came to him. "My men are ready and waiting for your command."Finn nodded. Then both Arthur and Grett soon came to tell him the same thing. "Now we will wait."Finn told them. The forest was deathly quiet as they waited for one of the scouts to return. The longer they waited,the more he was beginning to doubt the plan.

_I knew this plan was too risky_ Finn scolded himself. _Maybe we should've turned around and admit defeat_. Then he remembered what his father told him once. _Risk is part of war and battle_,he had told him once when he and Finn had been training and Finn never once made a single riskful move. _Every battle is a gamble Finn. The man who takes no risks also takes a risk._ The thundering hooves of a galloping horse stopped his flashback.

He ordered one of his men to pass him a lantern and he raised it up. Moments later,the rider came towards them and he smiled as he saw it was one of the scouts. He had an arrow sticking out his shoulder but otherwise was unharmed.

"It is done."he said with a victorious smile. "Good work,now go find a healer. Boron,lead the charge."Finn ordered.

Boron raises his sword high above his head and yelled,"To battle!"before he spurred his horse and galloped away. His men echoed their house's words and charged through the gate. Once they were in and gone,Arthur raised his sword and lead his group of men through the gate. As soon as they were out of his sight Finn raised his sword up and shouted,"Darkness has fallen!"before kicking his horse to a gallop.

His group of men followed him and Finn looked on ahead. The Dynasty knights were coming out of the castle,most likely trying to meet the threat head on,but unlike them the Dynasty knights were unorganised and unaware. He rode past both Arthur and Boron's garrison and slashed at the opposing knights. Soon enough both sides were colliding in a bloodbath.

Finn had managed to cut down three Dynasty knights before one blocked his attack. Finn recognised him by a glance. Ser Sadon,one of Noah's sworn knights and on the Light Unit.

"It's been awhile Sadon."Finn said. "Aye,and it'll be awhile longer once I put you in your grave."Sadon replied before slashing his sword on his horse's flank. The mount neighed loudly and bucked like crazy. He tried to get ahold of the reins but they bounced with his horse's movements and he toppled to the ground.

Sadon slashed his sword in a downward arc. Finn managed to roll away from the sword,jumped to his feet and landed a cut right on his left shoulder. Sadon grunted but he brought his sword up in a swift,deadly arc.

Steel met steel with a clang.

Sadon drew his sword back and drove at him. Finn jumped back,parrying,then made a low slash at Sadon's leg. He jumped back but was too quick and was unbalanced. That was all Finn needed to plunge his sword into Sadon's chest.

There was a groan as his armor ripped from the sword and scream of pain as Sadon dropped to his knees and fell to the ground face first. Finn didn't even waste another second as he moved from Sadon's body to find another foe. His blood was pulsing in his veins,he never felt so alive as when he was fighting. This is the dance a knight was made for.

The dance of swords,the dance of blood. The dance of death.

* * *

**Author's note: I was feeling like this story was missing more of the war aspect of G.O.T so I decided to do this chapter. As to answer th question that some of you have been pm me about,yes I will put different character's pov's in this such as Tywin Lannister,Stannis and a few more.**


	8. Schemes within schemes

Chapter 7

Schemes within schemes

Rand was beginning to think the meeting was going to be a waste of time.

He had summoned Lord Tywin of House Lannister,lord Cedric of house Redstone and Lord Mark of house Baratheon to swear fealty to him but he could tell things were gonna go bad before they began. Cedric and Mark were shooting daggers at each other and Tywin had some sly look in his eyes that Rand didn't trust. "I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I assume you all know why I called you so I'll be blunt. I wish to have you three as my bannermen."Rand said.

He looked sideways at Tywin and could tell that he was weighing every word he said. "Why do you wish to have us as your bannermen?"Cedric asked him suspiciously.

"It's rather simple. Whatever Rand has planned he knows he cannot do it without our help or forces."Tywin stated with a knowing smile.

_ He knows what I plan to do or,at the very least,has a guess._

That was the very reason Rand did not trust Tywin. While Rand needed Lord Tywin because,not only did he have a formidable force,but he was one of the richest houses he was a cunning,sly and ambitious man who would do whatever it took to have power. And it seemed to him that his daughter,Cersei,and his youngest son,Tyrion,had inherited that from him.

Eitherway,he answered Mark's question. "I plan on conquering this realm."he said. There was a long pause of silence. It lasted so long that Rand feared they did not hear him. Then Tyrion burst out laughing,Cersei and Cedric chuckled. Only Jaime,Tywin and Mark didn't laugh. Mark looked at him seriously,Jaime looked as if he would rather be dead than at the meeting and Tywin looked at him like he just turned into an utter fool.

"My lord,"Cedric said to him. "How do you plan to conquer the realm with your army? Even if we join you it would not be enough. This is pure folly." "You all wish to question my strength. Very well,as we speak my knights are in the process of taking over Lightbane."Rand answered him. "Once you take over Lightbane,you mean to add their strength to yours then conquer houses to strengthen your forces."Tyrion said. "That you are right Tyrion."Rand told him.

And once I have all my forces,you and your plot scheming house is done for. "Well if it's war you're doing then I'm with you."Mark said to him. Rand looked at him with disbelief. He knew that Mark would be the easiest of the lords to make his bannerman since like all Baratheons he had a love for battle but he didn't think it would be that easy.

Rand looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you want in return?"he asked,knowing full well that service like this was not something people did without something in return. "You don't have to be so suspicious,"Mark chuckled. "All I want is Storm's End. Those bloody Targaryens rule everything from Dragonstone to Griffin's Roost. Storm's End rightfully belongs to the Baratheons!"Mark said.

_ If Storm's End is really all he wants then I can give him that_ Rand told himself. "It is done then. Your support for Storm's End." He turned to Cedric and Tywin. "What is it that you two want and I shall give it."he told them. Cedric stroked his chin in thought. Tywin cleared his throat. "I will swear fealty to you if you accept my niece to be your son's wife."

Rand looked at Tywin straight in his pale green eyes flecked with gold. Normally,Rand would have no problem giving his son to marriage but this was Lord Tywin and he never did anything without a scheme being involved. Plus,if the tales could be believed,then Cersei was not someone who gave up her kids willingly and without her say. He has a plan but what I do not know. He did not dare say no to Tywin and risk offending him but he needed time to figure out his plan.

"I wish to see your niece first before I agree to this marriage."Rand said at last.

Tywin nodded.

"My lord,"Cedric said to him. "I wish to have half the lands of Estermont,Rain House and Mistwood."he said. Mark bristled when he said all those houses,which were his family's and bannermen houses. _This is such an obvious and clear blow to Mark and Cedric knows it._ He would have to tread carefully or he would lose Mar's support. "I cannot give you any land that belongs to Mark or his bannermen. That will have to be for you and Mark to talk on."Rand said carefully. Cedric scowled but otherwise said nothing. "So is that it?"Rand asked them.

"For me,I am done. My sword and men are yours."Mark swore. "Once me and Mark come to an agreement on his lands,my sword and men are yours."Cedric said. Rand looked at Tywin,waiting for him to swear fealty to him. But he didn't. "Another thing Rand,"Tywin said. "Once you secure Lightbane,I wish to control the trade."Rand nearly groaned. Tywin wanted to control the trade of Lightbane,increasing his house's own wealth.

It was practically screaming scheme!

Crasterly Rock was ripe with gold so there was no reason Tywin would need to have anymore gold. _Unless this was part of a scheme._ "You may control the trade if you let me have my choosing of some of your lands."Rand told him. He allowed himself to smile as he saw Tyrion's face went from smug to pure rage. Tywin's face remained expressionless. Rand didn't know what scheme Tywin was planning but,whatever it was,it involved money that much Rand knew.

If Tywin agreed,he would talk their wealthiest lands lowering the amount of money they would get. However that wasn't the only reason. He wanted to cause a rift in the family. Though Tyrion was now the next lord of Casterly Rock,Jaime was to be the lord by rights. Once Jaime became a member of the Kingsguard his titles,wealth and lands were no more. It should've been passed to Tyrion then but Tywin was not a man to give up so easily. Tywin never liked Tyrion since he was born so he forestalled Tyrion's lordship while trying to get Jaime to reclaim his rights. A year had passed before Tywin finally accepted defeat and gave Casterly Rock to Tyrion.

It had caused a strain between Jaime and Tywin and he intended to do that with Tywin and Tyrion. He knew that after waiting so long for what was his,Tyrion wouldn't give it up without a fight. Plus,since he was certain that Tyrion would have to give it up,he knew that Tyrion would fight for it. Lannister against Lannister,oh how the lions will fall he thought with a smile. "It is done,"Tywin told him at last. "My men and sword are yours." Tyrion shot up in his seat. "Father you're not seriously giving them my good lands t-"

"Until I'm dead under the ground with maggots those good lands are mine."Tywin told him in a cold voice that stated there was no room for debate. Tyrion sat down,fuming and glaring at his father. "Then it is settled. I thank you my lords. Tywin,I will see Myrcella in two weeks."Rand told him. They all said their farewells and left.

_Two weeks will give me enough time to unravel Tywin's schemes...and learn more of his future ones_ Rand though as he thought of someone who would know all Tywin's plots and secrets.

* * *

**Author's note: While I love the war aspect of game of thrones and I realised that I needed to add more for the whole plotting/scheming aspect as well so here a part of it is. More of this will be in further chapters. Keep up the reviews and if you have any questions just P.M. me.**


	9. Midnight

Chapter 8

Midnight

"Swing your sword above your opponents head!"Giant commanded.

Joseph took Eternal Iron in his hand and brought it in a downward arc to Giant's head. Giant brought up his wooden shield up and blocked the blow,making bits of wood fly off,and pushed back the greatsword. Joseph stopped for a moment to relax his sore arms.

"You have the technique down but the amount of force you put behind it varies. If you don't put enough force behind it the best you'll do is give your enemy a shallow scar."Giant told him. Joseph nodded. "Now we'll see how you fare with a sword and shield." He went over to the rack of weapons and shields,picked a shield and tossed it to Joseph.

He caught the shield but stumbled with the impact.

"Being."Giant said then immediately swung his sword at Joseph's hip. He brought up his shield blocking the incoming blow then pushed back Giant's sword and pivoted while bringing his sword at Giant. He moved to the side then began pressing a fury of attacks.

Joseph blocked most of the blows,a few landing on his leg or shoulder,while noticing that as Giant was pressing his attacks his shield had dropped dangerously low. He raised his sword and slashed it on his left shoulder. Giant laughed while continuing the attacks.

They went at their training attacking,parrying,blocking and dodging for maybe half an hour before Sealegs shouted,"We've arrived!" Giant and him ceased the fighting and smiled at one another. "You are good at swordplay and very observant to notice how my shield dropped. But you focus too much on your feet and not on your opponent's eyes. Your enemy's intentions is not on their body but in their eyes. Remember that."Giant told him. "I will."Joseph promised.

"Where in the seven kingdoms are we?!"Joseph heard Gavin ask Sealegs. He turned and walked to them. "I am sorry my friend but we have received word that there are storms south-east and west of Dragonstone and its port. We have to drop you off at the opposite end of Dragonstone at the forest."Sealegs said. "Understood."he told Sealegs then turned to the rest of the crew.

"I wish to thank you all for your hospitality and sailing us to our destination," He inclined his head slightly. "We are forever in your debt." "Aye nicely said. To be honest,of all the people I have sailed with very few I like."Sealegs told him with a laugh. Gavin and Joseph clasped hands with Sealegs before Joseph went over to Giant,Skipper and Spice.

"Thank you guys for everything."Joseph said to them. "Don't mention it. Just keep working on your sword skills."Giant told him with a pat on the back. "Be careful in that forest. Those Targaryens let their dragons roam where ever and other beast reside in it." Skipper warned. "I will."Joseph told him. Spice pat him on the shoulder then gave him a small horn.

"This horn was rumored to summon the gods to help the user in dire need."he told him. Joseph didn't really believe in stuff like that but he still took the horn and thanked Spice. The horn was made in obsidian and had red carvings of a sword,a woman with a babe,a stern face,a lantern,a dress,a hammer and a drop of blood. Each were a symbol representing one of the Seven Gods.

When the ship came to a full stop,Gavin and Joseph got off the ship. They turned back to wave goodbye to the crew one last time before they headed in the forest.

"Your sword skill has improved admirably,"Gavin said to him. "But your footwork is still lacking." "Why is that?"Joseph asked. "I noticed in your match against Giant that you relied more on your shield than dodging the blows. And when you do dodge the blows your movement are slow and hesitant. Do that in a battle and you're bound to die."Gavin said flatly. "Can you teach me to improve that?"Joseph asked. "Later,"he said then took out the map Sealegs gave him.

"According to this map,Dragonstone is at the opposite end of this island." He looked at the sky for a moment then to Joseph. "There's still some daylight burning so we'll try and get some headway." Joseph nodded then they entered the forest. The forest wasn't dark as he had anticipated since the trees weren't bunched together and was strangely quiet.

It didn't sit well with him.

They kept a lookout for the beasts that supposedly lived here but found nothing worse than the dead bones of some eaten animals. Three hours after night finally made its appearance. They decided to not light a fire for fear of attracting unwanted beasts and had a cold dinner of cheese and slices of rabbit meat. "Alright,"Gavin said to him once they finished. "Let's practice your footwork."Joseph got up while Gavin searched for something in their bag. He then pulled out a tourney sword and must've seen the look of confusion on Joseph's face because he said,"I saw that your footwork needed work and didn't want to use a real sword so I asked Sealegs if he had some tourney swords and if I could keep it."

Without warning,he thrusted the tourney sword at him. Startled,he tried to dance to the side but put his right foot on his left foot and fell hard on the ground. Gavin lifted him up. "Rule number one: Always be prepared."Gavin said. He then thrust the sword at Joseph again. Joseph danced away to the side once more and didn't fall. The sword though still managed to poked his shoulder. "Not bad. You didn't fall this time so it's a start but your movements are too slow." He slashed the sword at Joseph's right shoulder and he,prepared this time,jumped to the side. "Good."Gavin said then continued with the exercise.

Joseph's reaction time had improved slightly when the training was done. "If we do this every day your footwork will be the stuff of legends."Gavin told him. Joseph laughed as he gave Gavin the tourney sword.

Gavin took out the blanket and they went to sleep when a yowl sounded.

They jumped out of the blanket and unsheathed their swords,whirling around and looking for the creature who made that sound. Joseph knew that that noise wasn't made by a dragon so it eased his worry but by very little. "Move to your right!"Gavin ordered him abruptly. By habit,Joseph obeyed and spun to the right without question and saw a black blur land where he just was mere seconds ago.

He turned to look at the thing and nearly froze with terror.

The creature was a black panther!

He had read about them in some book at Lightbane but because they were rarely seen not information was provided about them. It was roughly up to Joseph's hip,sleek and scrawny. A few healed scars on its body. It looks like it hasn't eaten in a while. Then an idea popped in his head.

"Gavin,get me the duck meat in the bag."Joseph told him softly never taking his eyes off the panther. "What!"Gavin exclaimed incredulous. "Do you see how scranwy the panther is? It's attacking from its hunger."Joseph told him. He heard Gavin mumble something then went to the bag.

The panther saw Gavin and went to attack but Joseph slashed his sword right in front of it,keeping it at bay. It hissed at him then lunged towards him. He moved away and prepared to strike the panther when a heavy weight landed on his chest and brought him down.

His head hit the ground so hard that he bit his tongue and his head started to throb dully.

The panther growled at him and opened its mouth,showing its razor sharp fangs,to finish him as Gavin charged right into it. It tumbled off Joseph. "Here,"Gavin giving him the duck meat. "Whatever you're going to use that for,do it now!" Joseph spat out the blood in his mouth then turned his attention to the panther. It snarled at him while its fur bristled. "Hey!"he shouted loudly at the panther. "You hungry?"

The hair on the panther slowly flattened and he stares at him.

"What in the name of the gods are you doing?!"Gavin asked him through clenched teeth. Joseph ignored him and began to take slow,caution steps to the beast. "I got some food right here."he said softly to it. "And now he has lost his mind."he heard Gavin say.

Joseph stopped before the panther and slowly placed the duck meat on the ground then backed away. The panther stalker towards the duck,sniffed it a couple of times then proceeded to eat the duck. "Holy lord."Gavin said in awe. "My friend Gavin,you must have faith in yourself and others."Joseph mocked playfully.

Gavin rolled his eyes.

"What will we do with this panther?"Joseph asked Gavin. He looked at the panther thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well this might be a crazy idea but know how the Targaryens have dragons and the Starks had direwolves as...pets right? Well,why not keep this panther as one?"Gavin said. Joseph's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Gavin you're right...it is a crazy idea. Are you insane?!"he exclaimed. "The Targaryens are called the dragonlords for the fact that they can control the dragons. The Starks only could control their direwolves because they found them as pups,if the tales can be believed."Joseph said. He pointed to the panther. "I'm not a 'panther lord' and this is not a cub."

"Well you better think of something to do with it soon." Gavin told him,gesturing to the panther. Joseph turned. The panther had finished the duck then walked to him,yellow eyes gleaming. Joseph took quick steps back until Gavin grabbed his shoulders preventing him from moving. He put a hand on the hilt of the greatsword.

The panther saw that.

It stopped in its tracks,bared its teeth and growled. "Joseph move your hand from the sword before it attacks us."Gavin ordered. Obeying him reluctantly Joseph slowly removed his hand from the greatsword. The panther relaxed almost at once and it began to walk towards him. Joseph forced himself to say still as much as he wanted to turn and flee.

The panther stopped right in front of him then rubbed its head softly against his legs. Joseph let out a soft gasp but remained still. Once the panther stopped rubbing against him,it took a step back and sat on its haunches and stared at him. "Try petting it."Gavin urged him. Slowly,ever so slowly,Joseph lifted his hand up and towards the panther's head,gingerly touching its soft,silky fur. He felt slightly braver than before so mustering that bit of bravery and scratched behind its ear.

It purred,causing the vibrations to flow through his arm,and even leaned into his touch.

"Ha! I think it likes me!"Joseph said happily. "Aye. Now that we know he likes you,I think you should name it." Gavin suggested. Joseph looked at the panther intensely for a good minute before a name popped in his head.

"I will call it Midnight."Joseph declared.

"Not a bad name for it."Gavin commented. "Why don't you try and pet him?" "Um...I mean I-I could b-but-"Gavin stammered. Joseph could tell he was scared but,like every knight,he wasn't going to admit it. So Joseph took his hand and placed it on Midnight's head before Gavin could pull away. "Just rub his head and scratch his ear."Joseph instructed him. Gavin nodded and rubbed Midnight's head softly though his body remained tense.

Midnight purred.

"I think he likes you."Joseph told him. "Guess he does." Gavin agreed while removing his head from Midnight's head. "Once you return to Lightbane with Midnight,people will start to call you the Panther the same way they used to call Robb Stark the Young Wolf."he added teasingly.

Suddenly a question Joseph had never asked or even thought to ask came to him.

"Gavin...since Noah is dead and has no wife or children who has been ruling Lightbane?"Gavin tapped his chin. "Before we went to Stark's wedding,Noah had named Omika castellan of Lightbane so it's most likely here."he replied.

"But that means Noah is Lightbane's last lord. Any lord who knows Noah has no son or daughter to take the castle can easily take it without having to worry about someone claiming their rights."Joseph protested worriedly.

Never in all the Seven kingdoms had a kingdom had this problem. Every lord knew how important it was to have an heir to insure their legacy. _How could Noah not have thought that this could prove to be fatal to our house? _he thought. "Do you know if Noah fathered any bastards?"Joseph asked then felt stupid for asking that as soon as the words came out his mouth. Bastards could not inherit his father's lands or lordship not unless he or she is legitimized by a royal decree. They were said to be born of lust,greed and treachery. Then again,a bastard lord is better than no lord.

"If Noah had fathered a bastard he did not tell me. But I believe that Lightbane is not in peril."Gavin said. "How can you be so calm in a situation like this?!"Joseph yelled. Midnight yowled in surprise at the sudden outburst. Joseph admired Gavin's calmness in situations similar to this but talking about the very end of their house was something no one could be calm about.

Gavin looked straight at him for a long moment then closed his eyes and gave out a long sigh. With that one sigh,Gavin looked older. His shoulders slumped,his face was slightly wrinkled and his eyes had dark bags underneath them. _How did I never see him like this before?_ Joseph thought. _It's like he put on a cloak and only now took it off._

When he opened his eyes,his body went back to normal making Joseph start to think he imagined it all. "On my sword,shield and honor as a knight,Lightbane will never fall or be ruled by anyone other then a Light. I will protect you to your journey to Icewell until my dying breath. Nor will I ever fail Noah. What he asked me to protect shall never come to harm."Gavin swore to him fiercely.

Joseph looked at him with a new admiration.

"Come on,let's get some sleep."he said. Gavin nodded in agreement and they both got into the blanket. Gavin was already snoring loudly once his head hit the ground. Midnight moved towards him,curled in a ball and watched him closely as his eyes dropped and he fell fast asleep.

* * *

**Author's note: I was feeling like most of the chapters were too short so I decided to make a longer one. So what do you all think: Does Noah have a trueborn son,a bastard or is his house really doomed? Keep up the reviews it really tells me you guys are enjoying the story so far.**


	10. A queen's work is never done

Chapter 9

A queen's work is never done

Finding a suitor was the very few things she hated about being a queen.

"We could offer a marriage pact to prince Doran's son,Quentyn."Aemon suggested. "That would serve no purpose. The Dornishmen are already sworn to us by our ancestor King Daeron ii through marriage and friendship."Daenerys reminded him.

She looked at her father who nodded his approval.

"Then perhaps EagleGuard heir or Icewell's will be better?"Lord Gregor said. "Icewell are the descendants of the Starks and Torrhen Stark,the king who knelt and their last king,who swore fealty to Aegon the Dragon."Naga pointed out. "As far as we know,the Wells do not have an heir and I will not wait for one. Anything can happen between now and when they have an heir,"Daenerys said. "However the Eagles are still an option. I'll keep that in mind."

"Perhaps Griffin's Roost would be a better option."Naga put in. Daenerys turned to him. "And why is that?"she asked. "I see where you are going with this Naga but why?"Gregor asked him. "The Targaryens rule everything from here to Griffin's Roost so why have Daenerys marry one?"Gregor asked.

"That's the thing. The Targaryens may have conquered their lands and rule their lords but that would give them reason enough to betray your Grace. The Conningtons are sworn to the Baratheons after all. So I see two options: Your Grace marries Lord Ronnet to insure his loyalty or Ronnet could have an accident and his loyal uncle can become Lord of house Connington."Naga explained,a sly smile appearing on his face.

Daenerys was shocked that Naga would even suggest something like that.

Granted,house Connington wasn't exactly a friend to the Targaryens but Jon Connington was a loyal knight to her father and a good friend to her brother. Lord Gregor and Asher looked as though they agreed with Naga. "That is smart. Ha! Naga you are a sly one."Asher said.

Naga laughed.

Only Aemon and her father agreed seemed to share her feelings. "Lord Naga even if we have to kill Ronnet we would have to kill the son,his brother and sister."Aemon said. "So? It's not like house Connington has no enemies. No one will even suspect it was us. And I never said we had to do the killing. Just send a knight or hire someone."Naga said.

"If we did succeed with this plan and kill all those next in line to house Connington,it would looked very suspicious if we were to just give Jon the throne like that."Aerys stated.

"Why don't we let her Grace decide?"Asher asked her.

They all turned to her.

In the end she was the one to have the finally say. "I will not have my most loyal knight and brother's friend hurt or killed!"she said firmly. Aemon and Aerys looked relieved while Naga looked annoyed and angered. She had to calm him before he took her decision as a slight.

"I see the sense of what you say,lord Naga,and I'm astonished that you came up it. But what you propose is too risky. Should Jon or anyone from house Connington find out how Ronnet died it would wage war." "Understood your Grace."Naga said. He was a sly man which made Daenerys both respect him and fear him. _I am grateful that he is an ally and not an enemy_ she told herself.

"Then why not-"Aemon started but a knock on the door cut him off. "Come in."Daenerys said. The door pushed opened and the messenger walked in. He bowed deeply. "Your Grace,a letter for you." He gave her the letter,bowed once more then left. Queen Daenerys were the only two words written outside the scroll and the letter was sealed with a smear of hard black wax. Daenerys could feel the anticipation off the others so she said,"It's from Rand."

She cracked the seal,flattened the parchment and read.

_Dear Daenerys Targaryen,_

_Lightbane has been taken over._

_All lords,ladies,kings and queens who swear fealty to me shall not be harmed. Those who oppose me better wish I never come to you._

_Furthermore,there are two lights that must be captured: A knight and a squire. If you have any information on them or their whereabouts,send a letter to me._

_Should I learn that any of you are hiding them,I won't hesitate to wage war._

It was signed.

_Rand Ravenfield,Lord of house Ravenfield and King of Westeros._

Some expression must've crossed her face because Aerys said,Daenerys are you alright?" She did not answer him at once. _Dark wings,dark words_ she thought. "Listen to this."she told them and read it aloud.

Once she finished,Naga and Asher laughed. "I knew Rand was delusional but this is straight up crazy."Asher managed to choke out through his laughter. "This is not a laughing matter Asher."Gregor told Asher sternly.

"King of Westeros? So Rand is self-styling himself as king. The only king of Westeros was our ancestor Aegon the Conqueror,who became king through conquest. Since then only a Targaryen became a king or queen of Westeros. That is,until my father's father,Maekar l,broke that legacy."Aerys stated angrily. "By the sound of that letter it sounds as if that is how he plans to rule Westeros."Aemon said.

"The question is whether or not we swear fealty to Rand and take his threat seriously."Gregor said. "I say no,"Naga said. "Let Rand try to wage war on us. Your Grace's army is bigger and they will tremble at the sight of her dragons." "My army may be bigger at the moment but if Rand achieves his...goal,my army will never stand a chance. As for my dragons,it may be that they are harder to slay than a man but they are not immortal,"Daenerys told him.

"Your Grace,are you saying that we will swear fealty to him?"Aemon asked.

_Should I?_ she thought. A large part of her brain was telling her _yes._ _A queen belongs not to herself but to her people._ But a small part was saying _the dragon is not a slave. I am the blood of the dragon. I bow to no one._ Even if she swore to Rand he would hold their lives in the palm of his hand.

"We will not swear fealty to Rand."she declared firmly. All of them looked at her with pure relief. "Well now that that matter is settled,let us go to the next issue at hand: The two runaway Lights."Aemon said. "I say that we capture them."Gregor told her. "Agreed. Though we are not swearing fealty to him,it would look like we are trying to prove our loyalty. Plus they must be worth something or very dangerous for him to say he'll wage war."Naga pointed out.

"If they are dangerous Rand doesn't say how or why. But I agree with you that they must be worth something." "So what will we do if they should arrive here?"Asher asked her. "If they ever come here I will question them,hear what they have to say before I decided if I give them to Rand or not."Daenerys said. They nodded. She was about to put the council meeting at an end when another knock on the door stopped her.

_A queen's work is never done_ she thought tiredly.

"Come in."she said. The doors opened and Ser Jon walked in. "Your Grace,one of my knights have reported seeing two people in the forest south of here." "Do we know who they are?"she asked. He shook his head. "Rally the FlamingLeague and find these two people and bring them to me."Daenerys ordered.

Jon nodded,bowed then left the room.

* * *

**Author's note: I know usually the father arranges a marriage before the son/daughter becames the ruler but I always hated that so I'm changing that in my story. I also want to know so far who is your favourite character?**


	11. A lost soul

Chapter 10

A lost soul

Joseph was woken up by Gavin roughly shaking him.

"Joseph get up!"he ordered softly. Joseph blinked his eyes rapidly and shook his head like a dog till he no longer felt sleepy. "What's wrong?"he asked,sitting up. "There was a dragon with a rider on circling above us."Gavin told him.

_ This is bad_ Joseph realized. If the rider saw them he would alert the king and they could be killed! He quickly got off the blanket,folded it then shoved it their bag. He then grabbed a fistful of rabbit meat and turned to Midnight. "Midnight,Midnight."he called.

Midnight's ears shot up as he opened his eyes and looked at him. He tossed the meat to Midnight and he devoured it ravenously. Once he was done eating,Joseph turned to Gavin. "Which way do we go?"he asked. "We head north."Gavin replied.

He nodded then they continued their journey. He looked to his right to see Midnight trotting beside him. _Looks like he's my companion now._ Joseph stretched his hand down and scratched his head. He purred.

For an estimate of ten minutes,no pursuers or riders chased them and Joseph began to relax.

That was short-lived as Midnight froze.

He sniffed the air a couple of times then growled. "Joseph what's gotten into him?"Gavin asked. "I don't know,"Joseph told him then turned to the panther. "Midnight what's wrong boy?"he asked him. Midnight sniffed the air once more then looked up.

Joseph looked up as well but saw nothing. He was about to tell Gavin that it was nothing when a loud roar made him stop. He turned to Gavin and knew that he heard the noise too. "Run!"he yelled

They dashed off.

Midnight ran beside them,easily keeping pace with both of them. Low branches whipped against his face but he paid them no mind. Joseph could now hear the wingbeats of the dragon as it got closer. In the midst of the noise,he heard the thunderous sounds of galloping horses. _The gods of mercy,riders too!_ There was no way they could outrun men on horseback.

"Gavin we got riders behind us! We can't outrun them."Joseph had to shout to be heard. "Go on ahead. I'll hold them off."Gavin told him. "Gavin,trying to fight god knows how many men and a dragon is suicide! I won't let you face them alone."Joseph protested. "No!"Gavin argued. "You will get to safety. I swore to-"but his argument was lost as the dragon shot ahead of them and landed before them.

The dragon was pure black with light brown frills all along its neck and dark purple eyes. A man in black armor got off the dragon and turned to them. He was tall,muscular,pale skinned,has a clean-shaved face with short red hair and pale blue eyes.

"You two are coming with us by order of Queen Daenerys of Dragonstone."he said. He heard the riders came to a halt behind them but he paid them no mind as he thought _queen? So it is the daughter who rules. We might have a chance then!_ It was common knowledge that where kings and lords were sticklers to justice and hardly listen queens and ladies were fair and would sometimes listen to the captive.

_If we attack though we'll look like a pair of criminals._

He looked at Gavin. His hand was reaching for his sword. Joseph put his hand over Gavin's. "Don't attack them."he said in a desperate whisper. Gavin looked at him with confusion. Joseph prayed to the gods that Gavin would trust him. Joseph could see the riders forming into a circle around them.

Gavin looked at Joseph for a few seconds then moved his hand from his sword before turning to the black armored man. "We'll come with you."

* * *

They had stripped Joseph and Gavin of their weapons before they escorted them. The knights stayed in a circle around them as they walked to Dragonstone.

Midnight snarled at anyone who got too close. They saw the grey wisp of smoke before they was Dragonstone. It was a huge rock,slightly slanted,and gray. There were dragons flying overhead far from them but it still made Joseph cold with terror while Midnight was agitated.

They stopped at the gate. The black armoured knight,who he learned was Jon Connington,tapped his sword against the gate. A crossbowman appeared atop the barbican,peering down. "Who goes there?"Jon cranked his head back and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Ser Jon Connington,here to see her Grace." The gate slowly opened,causing a loud echoey creak before the crossbowman reappeared. "You may enter."he said. Jon turned to the dragon and whispered something to it.

The dragon turned away and flew off.

"Follow us and don't try anything."he warned. They walked through a huge garden with a few knights patrolling. They didn't so much as glance at them. They approached another door with two guards. When they saw Jon they permitted him through. They walked into the castle,through a long corridor.

Soon they reached another door,though this one was larger than the other and in solid gold. Jon knocked on the door and,almost instantly,a feminine voice replied,"Come in." He pushed the door open then went behind them. "Walk."he ordered.

They obeyed without resistance and he was almost blinded by the intense light. When his eyes adjusted to the light,he looked around.

There was a long,red carpet in the center of the room and a dozen tapestries of what appeared to be the old Targaryens. He saw Jon had stopped walking and he followed his lead and averted his gaze to the people in the front.

At the bottom of the platform on the left side was Lord Gregor of house Forrester with his eldest son,Asher. On the right side was Lord Naga of house Grirath. Joseph sucked in a deep breath. _This is going to go badly._ In a battle where Gavin had served Noah's father he killed Rolland,the late lord of house Grirath and older brother of Naga. From the look Naga was giving them,it seemed that he did not recognize Gavin but it would only last for so long. At the top of the platform beside one of the thrones was an elderly man who Joseph had no doubt was Aerys ll Targaryen,the newly late king of Dragonstone. He was tall,lean with long silver-gold hair with white streaks being visible,had wrinkled skin and purple eyes.

Beside him was dark blue scaled dragon with a pale underside and red eyes. It looked at Midnight with alertness and Midnight watched it with hostility. He turned to the woman on the throne,Daenerys Targaryen. She was fair skinned with long silver-gold hair tied in a braid,slender with purple gleaming eyes. Another dragon was beside her who was black scaled with blood red horns and spinal plates and smoldering red eyes. With the dragon beside her,it gave the queen a savage beauty to her. Out of habit and respect,he bowed to her.

He saw Gavin follow his lead from the corner of his eye. "Rise."the queen commanded,her voice soft but strong. Joseph did as she commanded. "Who are you two?"she asked them. "I am Joseph Galt,a knight of the late lord Noah of Lightbane." He gestures to Gavin. "And this is...Ser Gavin Harrigan,knight of the late lord Noah of house Lightbane."

Silence immediately filled the room.

Naga's once calm eyes were now burning with anger. "Gavin! The same Gavin who killed my brother?!"he roared. Gavin raised his head to look at Naga. "Yes my lord. It is me."he said. Naga looked at Gavin,jaws clenched,body slightly trembling with restraint rage and eyes searching Gavin. _Gavin might die this very day._ Joseph thought in despair. All Naga had to do was unsheathe his sword and Gavin would be finished.

But what Naga did after surprised him.

His body slowly stopped trembling then he spoke to Gavin. "I would like nothing more than to thrust my greatsword through your heart and end your life. But you slained my brother in battle and in the laws of battle it was not murder." Gavin lowered his head in respect. "Your brother was an honorable and valiant lord."he told Naga. "Aye,indeed he was."Naga said softly.

In the moments of after silence,Daenerys took over.

"What business do two Lightbane knights have to be here?" Joseph and Gavin glanced at each other,the silent question in their eyes.

_Should we tell them?_ They both knew that lying would do more bad than good but they also didn't know how much they could tell them. Joseph decided to tell them part of the truth. "The RavensFields attacked us,the Florents and the Starks during Robb and Eva's wedding. Before our lord...died he told us to go to Icewell and find a lady. Once we find her we shall head back to Lightbane and set things right."

Daenerys listened to him. Once he finished speaking,all of them glanced at each other. Daenerys looked back at them with a look of pity, then turned back to her father who was whispering to her. _They know something_ Joseph realised. _And whatever it is,they do not want us to know._

"I don't know how to tell you both this lightly,"Daenerys said to them at last. "But Rand and his men have stormed the castle of Lightbane." A cold dread filled Joseph's body. "Are saying that…"he trailed off. He couldn't say the words,he just couldn't! Luckily Daenerys had spared him of that as she looked at him sadly. "Lightbane is no more."

He wanted to say that he couldn't believe this was happening but deep down he knew it would eventually. The day we lost Noah was the day we lost Lightbane. It didn't make the news anymore bearable.

Gavin took the news harder however.

His face went completely blank and his eyes seemed to have a far away look in them. "Gavin?"Joseph called softly. Gavin did not answer him,stuck in his trance. Joseph touched his arm lightly and out of the blue he exploded. His face contorted into rage and his trembled violently. He shrugged off Joseph's hand and looked at the lords and queen. "This is a bloody filthy lie!"he yelled. Ser Jon's face darkened. "Watch your tongue,ser. You are in the presence of the queen." Gavin turned to him and smiled.

Joseph shivered as he saw the smile. It wasn't the same warm,charismatic smile that made Joseph and others want to smile back. No,this one was dark and sinister.

One that was filled with malice.

One that promised harm to come.

"It shouldn't be me who should watch their tongue,ser."Gavin told Jon. Before anyone could say anything,Gavin pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and walked towards the queen. "Stop him!"Daenerys ordered the knights. Jon and four other knights unsheathed their swords and advanced. Gavin waited until one knight was on him. He slashed his dagger at the knight's shoulder and thrusted it in his hip.

The knight howled in pain and fell to the ground.

"Someone get the maester!"Daenerys called. One of the guards heard her and ran quickly. The two other knights were approaching him cautiously now in a circle formation,as a predator would do to its prey. Gavin noticed and he dropped low,thrusting the dagger in both the knight's thighs with inhuman speed.

One of the knights cursed as he fell to his knees while the other grunted but managed to bear the pain and brought his sword down in a downward arc. Ready,Gavin brought his dagger up,blocked the blow,pushed away the sword before stabbing the knight in his collarbone. The knight screamed in agony as fell.

It was utter madness.

It looked like Gavin had suddenly became a god,injuring anyone who got in his path but never so much as a scratch on himself. Jon rushed at Gavin then did a series of hard and fast attacks. Gavin,somehow,managed to defend himself. Joseph saw a flicker of movement and turned to see Lord Gregor and Asher advancing.

On the platform,the two dragons were starting to stir.

Gavin may have been able to handle a few knights and lords but there was no way he could take on two full-grown fire-breathing dragons! Joseph looked at Midnight. "Midnight,stop the dragons."he whispered. The panther looked him straight in the eye for a split second then turned away and ran to the dragons. The lords tried to stop Midnight but he easily dodged their slashing swords and thrusts.

He came to a stop before the dragons and let put a deep thunderous roar. The dragons flared their wings and roared back at Midnight,putting his roar to shame with their earth shattering one. Midnight did not quail as he kept the dragons from Gavin.

Joseph let out a relieved sigh then turned his attention on Gavin. He managed to push Jon's sword away then punched him in his mouth. Even from where he was,Joseph could still hear the crack of either bone or teeth and winced. The force was also strong enough to make Jon fall into Lord Gregor. Asher managed to avoid the tumbling two but it distracted him,allowing Gavin to kick his feet from out under Asher. Asher fell to the ground with a loud thud. Gavin slashed his dagger across Asher's thighs and chest.

Asher screamed.

Gavin turned his head sideways for a few mere seconds but it was enough to see his eyes. He could see the brown coloring but very little considering how they were now almost entirely glazed over in white. He looked like he was out of it,like he wasn't in his right mind. He turned to lord Naga. Naga went to unsheathe his sword but Gavin was on him and in one quick move,he rose his leg up and kicked Naga in the stomach. The lord lost his footing and hit his head and the platform's stairs.

Gavin turned his head to the queen. He was now taking slow,deliberate steps to her his dagger glistening with blood. "Drogon,Drogon!"Daenerys yelled. One of the dragons turned to go to her but Midnight jumped in its way and forced it back. "Stay away from my daughter!"Aerys yelled and leaped at Gavin. Gavin grabbed him by his robe and tossed him away like he was made of paper.

"How could you let Lightbane be stormed by Rand?!"Gavin roared at her. Despite the evident anger in his voice,Joseph could hear the strained grief. "Lightbane was once your bannermen. We came at your family's every heed and call. Does that mean nothing to you?!" He was twirling the dagger in his hand.

Now his intent was clear to Joseph

_He is mad with grief. If he kills the queen,we will die as well._ It was law that should anyone kill a lord,lady,queen or king they were sentenced to death. _I have to stop him_ Joseph thought.

He went to the knight that Gavin stabbed in the collarbone as Gavin spoke to Daenerys. "I have lost my lord,my loved one and home. You will never understand that pain...but perhaps your people will understand the pain I feel." He raised the bloodied dagger over his head. The queen didn't even so much as flinch.

She just looked him right in the eye as Gavin let out a deep,malicious laugh and brought the dagger down to the queen's head.

But it never made its mark.

Joseph moved in front the queen while bringing the knight's sword up to block Gavin's dagger. "Joseph,what are you doing?!"he exclaimed as he pushed down the dagger. "Stopping you from making a grave mistake."Joseph replied. He slowly and steadily pushed Gavin's dagger back.

_He has to be stopped._

Taking a deep breath,he put on a force of strength then yelled,"Midnight!" as he pushed the dagger away. Gavin stumbled and opened his arms to balance himself out but in doing so made himself vulnerable when Midnight whirled around,took two strides then leaped right into Gavin's chest. Gavin was launched off the platform and landed on his back hard.

The impact caused Gavin to lose his dagger. Joseph jumped off the platform and hurriedly went to retrieve the dagger. "Good boy."he said to Midnight who purred at him. "I am sorry Noah,I'm so sorry."he heard Gavin sob to himself. He turned his head to the queen. Her amethyst,violet eyes met his brown ones as they seemed to hold a question in them one that he could not answer.

He dropped the sword and dagger. "Ser Jon,Asher seize them and put them in the cells,the beast included,"She turned her gaze back to Joseph and this time her eyes were hard and cold.

"I'll see how they will be punished."


	12. Inside man

Chapter 11

Inside man

The walls of house Swfty were thick Rand noticed as he and his small group of knights walked up to the castle's gates. _Not thick enough to resist being stormed should this meeting go wary_ he thought with a small smile.

He turned to Ser John,one of his few knights who didn't go to Lightbane. "Sound the horn."he commanded. Ser John unslung the Horn of Dark and let it wind. As he waited for a response from the castle,Rand eyed the banner floating above its barbican. The lion of house Lannister was floating in the breeze along with the bantam blue rooster of house Swfty.

The castle gates swung open slowly. He spurred Night toward the gate.

As Rand trotted across the yard,he saw chickens run under Night's hooves,crossbowmen walked the ramparts and peasants stared at him with a mixture of tired,confusion and intiruge looks.

Ser Kevan Lannister emerged to greet him,his gold and crimson armor creaking every now and then. "Lord Rand. I am honored by this...unexpected visit. Please forgive me for the lack of preparations." "All is forgiven,"Rand said. "Besides,I only came so you and I may talk."

Kevan called for one of the stableboys as Rand descended from Night and handed him to the boy. "Is your son and wife here?"Rand asked Kevan. "My son is off to his wedding and my wife is seeing to the sparrow problem."Kevan said. Rand wondered what the sparrow problem was but decided not to ask.

He followed Kevan into the castle walking through a spiral staircase before they arrived to the room. It was dimly lit,had a big round dark blue carpet,a round and big wooden table with five tall chairs,the banner of its house and one serving girl near the table with a pitcher in her hands. Rand pulled out a chair for himself then sat down. "Would you like some Arbor wine,my lord?"Kevan asked him. "At the moment no. I'll have some once we're done,though don't go dry on my account."he prompted.

Kevan ordered their cups to be filled then told the serving girl to leave. "So why have you decided to come here?"Kevan asked. "I wish do know more about lady Mycrella,my son's bride-to-be."Rand answered. He knew that he would have to start small here. _Besides,I might as well get some information about her._ "Myrcella is a tall,slender fair skinned and gentle girl. I know with fair certainty that she'll make s good queen and wife to your son."Kevan told him fondly.

_Aye the Lannisters said the same thing about Joffrey when he was really a monster_ he thought. Joffrey Baratheon was the first was first born of the late Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. He had only met Joffrey three times but he was glad it was only those three times. Rand could see on first glance that the boy was evil,his eyes were filled with malice.

He had even seen the boy hit Sansa Stark,his once betrothed. Rand always was fond of Sansa. True,she had a simple view of the world,but he envined her for that and liked her. She was kind,loving and beautiful.

She never deserved to die at that wedding.

The day they had attacked the Dynasty knights,the Florents and the Starks he had meant to kill only the males,take Sansa and Arya and marry her off to his son. But they both had been caught in the battle. "I'm sure her mother must be furious about the marriage."Rand said innocently as he took a sip of wine. Kevan gave him a confused look.

"Why would she be angry?" "The rumors tell that Cersei never let's her children marry."Rand replied. When he saw the look of disappointment Kevan gave him,he added,"I know rumors are tales but as a wise man once said: Hear a rumor once,it's just a tale. Hear a rumor one hundred times and the truth will fall through." "It is wise,"Kevan agreed. "But you do not need to worry. Tywin and Cersei have already discussed the marriage."

_Just as I suspected. They have discussed it...and something else with it._ "Aye yes that does make my heart so much lighter. But it does raise a question."Rand told Kevan. "And what question is that,my lord?"he asked. "Why would Tywin want his granddaughter to marry my son? Tywin heard lord Cedric say himself that my plan to conquer Westeros was folly. Should my plan fail me,my wife,my son and my house will fall. Why risk a family member?"

Kevan took a sip of his wine before he spoke. "With the army you currently have,I have very little doubt that you'll die." Rand sighed. Half in annoyance and half in pity for the loyal fool. "I see that courtesy won't get me anywhere so now i'll be more blunt. What scheme does Tywin have behind this?" Kevan's body froze,not more than a millisecond,but it was all he needed to confirm his suspicions.

"My lord, I do not know what you mean. It is normal for a lord to give his daughter to another lord's child to marry. Even if the lord has high ambitions."Kevan told him,trying to play dumb. Rand laughed. "It is true that it's normal. But it is also normal for Tywin to have a plot behind everything he does."he countered.

Kevan became quiet.

"Kevan,you know that I'm on to you and Tywin. Why don't you just tell me what he's planning." Kevan gave him a guarded look. "I don't know anything."he said simply. Now Rand was starting to get a little frustrated. "Kevan you can quit your lying. Tell me or one day you may just find that your house has disappeared into thin air."Rand cautioned.

Kevan whirled his head at him and Rand could see the anger whirling in his eyes. _I'll have him soon enough._ "Careful who you make threats to,Rand. My brother has made two houses go extinct and a third house wouldn't do much harm."Kevan warned. "Your older brother."Rand put in and couldn't help but feel satisfied when he saw a flicker of annoyance cross Kevan's face.

_ They never grow out of it._ Rand told himself. A little brother may grow to be a hundred years old but he will always be a little brother.

"And,"Rand added. "While Tywin eliminated the Reynes of Castamere and the Tarbecks of Tarbeck Hall,a remarkable deed if I must say,I have massacred the Starks,conquered Lightbane and have the sons or daughters of half the Stark's bannermen and Florent's bannermen. With one word I can gather the Umbers,Karstarks,Manderlys,Ryswells,Middleburys,Blackbars along with my army and the knights of Lightbane to attack the Lannisters."

Then he let a wicked smile cross his face.

"Or better yet,I'll have them kill your wife and son." Kevan shot up from his seat. Both rage and fear evident in his eyes. "You leave my family out of this!"he growled.

Rand smiled.

_Just a little more and I'll have him._ "Which family is that though?"Rand asked him. Kevan looked at him for a long time then sat back in his seat,shoulders slumped and defeat in his eyes. Rand smiled victoriously then leaned forward. "Tell you what,I'll let you choose which family I'll destroy."he said softly. Kevan stayed silent for a moment then sighed.

"I will tell you whatever you want to know on three conditions."he said. Rand gestured for him to continue. "You swear not to hurt my son or wife,you don't hurt Tommen and Myrcella and you never mention that I told you anything."he listed. _Reasonable conditions_ Rand thought. He,however,couldn't help but add,"I'm surprised you didn't add Joffrey to the list."

Kevan gave him an annoyed look but said,"I will not hide it from anyone. Joffrey is a monster and I believe he deserves to be put down. _At least one Lannister has sense_ Rand thought. "Nonetheless,I will honor those terms. You have my word as a Raven."he swore. Kevan's eyes told him that he didn't believe a word from him but nodded and spoke. "Once Shane and Myrcella are married Tywin is planning to...eliminate Shane."Kevan told him softly.

Rand was stunned into silence. He had guessed that Tywin's plans were somewhere between conquering his house or building an army to fight his. But he didn't think that Tywin would actually try to murder his only ten year old son. _I'll make sure that Tywin is the last to live ad I make him watch everything he ever built burn_ Rand swore. "Why does Tywin want to control Lightbane's trade?"he asked Kevan. "He's planning to pursue the other lords to join him should killing Shane failn."he answered.

At least he had gotten that assumption right.

"I did what you asked. Now you have to uphold your part."Kevan told him. "I will...if you do one more thing for me."Rand replied. "Do I even have a choice?"Kevan asked. "Oh of course you do. But every choice in life has a consequence behind it."he told Kevan. "What do you want of me?"Kevan asked starting to get very annoyed. "I want you to spy on Tywin for me. To tell me every plot he plan against me" Rand told him.

"Fine."Kevan replied simply. "Good choice,"Rand said. "Now it is getting late and I must be heading back to Ravenfield." He got up from his seat and walked to the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned to Kevan.

"One more thing Kevan. I suggest that you don't bother thinking of betraying me or i'll make your life a living hell."he warned him before he left.

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**Author's note: We finally get to see the cunning,vicious side of Rand! What do you all think. Will he be able to achieve his goal or will it all go down in flames?**


	13. Lion vs Lions

Chapter 12

Lions vs Lions

Tyrion had waited all his life to get what was rightfully his and now his bloody father was going to give it away just like that.

He was not going to let that happen as long as he was still breathing.

He saddled onto his horse and trotted through the gates. He had told Bronn,a sellsword,to get his Kettlebacks and meet up at the wine skin within the town. Bronn had asked him why so Tyrion had told him only what he needed to know. "Because this will make you richer than a hundred lords." Bronn's greedy grin told Tyrion that he was with him.

He entered Muddy Way,crowded with soldiers and smallfolk. They watched him with anger and contempt. He wasn't surprised. With the prices of food rising and Lannisters taking most of their coin,he wasn't the most liked person.

He grabbed a fistful of coins from his purse and tossed them to the smallfolk. A few rushed to get the coins. _Maybe they'll be able to feed themselves properly tonight_ Tyrion thought. He turned a corner then walked along a curving,through the alleyway under a broken archway before he reached the place.

He swung off his horse then tied the reins to the handle of an old house before waddling up the alley quickly. The wine skin was a dismal building,dark and damp,walls pale with nitter,the ceiling so low that Bronn and the Kettlebacks would have to duck their heads to keep from hitting the beams. Tyrion had no such problem.

He moved to the back room which was even darker. A flickering candle burned on a low table. Bronn and his Kettlebacks sat behind it. "I'm glad you all could join me."Tyrion told them as he sat down. "Cut to the chase Tyrion. Why are we here?"Bronn asked him,noticeably irritated.

_Getting to the point as always._

"Very well. I want to eliminate my father."Tyrion said flatly. The uproar that followed afterward was something Tyrion had expected. Bronn looked at him as if he was crazy,Osfryd prayed to the gods,Osney began asking if this was a mummer's farce,Osmund swore a string of colorful curses and Karl,Col,Holt and Sal claimed he was mad.

When the others quiet down enough Bronn bulled over them. "Tyrion are you mad?! This is bloody folly and suicide!"he exclaimed. "Aye it is suicide...should we fail. But I am most certain we will not fail."Tyrion replied calmly. "And why is that?"Osmund asked him. "Osmund you seem to have forgotten who I am. I'm the son of the very lord you are scared to fight. Unless his plot involves something to do against me,he tells me all his plots. Right now he's planning to ally himself with HighGarden,"Tyrion said.

"Tyrion,your father has over a thousand knights and you only us eight."Bronn protested. "And eight people is just enough for my plan. Or my first plan anyway." Tyrion replied. "Your first plan!"Osney exclaimed.

"Yes. My first plan is I get my father to make Bronn part of the knights. Then using my brother's help,I'll be able to find out who guards Tywin in the council room and outside his chambers. Once I have all that information I'll arrange a few accidents to happen and replace you all with them. Once you all are in position,I'll message you all to meet here to discuss the elimination."

They were watching him now with less skeptical looks. "The plan doesn't sound crazy,"Osfryd mumbled then more clearly. "You said your first plan. What's your other plans?" "Should the first plan fails,I already have a ship ready only for us. Once we are safe i'll reach Mace Tyrell and make him join me. Then we'll wage war on my father,"Tyrion told them.

"All I need is that you seven swear your loyalty to me and only me." Bronn and the Kettlebacks looked at each other then back to him. "If we help you what is in it for us?"Holt asked. By that question alone,Tyrion knew that he had them.

All he had to do was promise them something they couldn't refuse.

"For starters,I will be giving Bronn the lands and lordship of house Stokeworth for his service to me. Never did like Falyse and Balman. The rest of you will get a guaranteed lifetime supply of gold and anything else you desire. Titles,land,whores whatever you want."Tyrion said. The glint of greed in their eyes confirmed they would join him before they even said,"We are at your service." Tyrion nodded,pleased.

_Soon will be the day where i'll have a front row seat of Tywin Lannister's demise._

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**Author's note: I know this chapter is short but I wasn't haven't the best day to write. Reviews are welcomed and if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me**


	14. Cold as ice

Chapter 13

Cold as ice

The king of Icewell sat on his throne with his wife,Isobel,at his left side and his father's direwolf,Ghost,while he overlooked all the northerner rulers and his bannermen.

Lord Rickard Karstark of Karhold with his long ragged grey beard,his pinched cold narrow face and black mail giving him a reaper aura. Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor. He had on a lime green robe with a golden trident on the front. He was vastly fat with an undertone of grey and pure sadness in his pale blue eyes.

Bryan understood his sadness all too well.

_He lost his firstborn son the same way I lost my father to that black hearted fiend,Rand._ Almost like he sensed Bryan's thoughts,Ghost turned his head and nudged Bryan gently. Bryan looked down at the direwolf and smiled,reaching and petting him.

Hother Umber,also known as Whoresbane,castellan of the Last Heart and uncle to Jon Umber in his brown tunic,tall and muscular. Lord Rodrick Ryswell of the Rills,Galbart Glover,master of Deepwood and lastly lady Maegor Mormont of Bear Island who could rival Whoresbane in strength. All of them had been bannermen of the late Robb Stark,his uncle and father's brother.

Though he only met is uncle once for a short amount of time,he had heard that he was an honorable,loyal,brave and good king. Small wonder the northerners loved him. His father had been a bastard son of Eddard Stark so naturally he wasn't supposed to be king. But because all of Eddard's true heirs died and none of them had produced heirs themselves the northerners had decided that only he was right for the throne.

Despite making him king,they had put him through countless tests in combat,political or in ruling a kingdom before they finally decided that he was a worthy king of Icewell. _This however may be the ultimate test_ Bryan thought. When his father's family had been around the castle and kingdom had been called Winterfell but he decided that since all the Starks were extinct it was time for the kingdom to have a new name in honor of the new generation.

"You all may rise."he said. They all rose up simultaneously. "What is the reason you all wish to speak to me?"he asked them. "Your Grace,have you seen the letter Rand has sent to all the rulers in Westeros?"Rickard asked. "I have seen the letter. What of it?"Bryan said. "It is a bloody ridicule! Not only is Rand practically forcing us to swear fealty to him he is self-styling himself king of Westeros!"Rodrick exclaimed.

"What do you wish for me to do? I cannot wage war on him for he has most of your sons and I refuse to negotiate with that fiend."Bryan told them. "We do not wish for you to make deals with that arse or wage war,"Whoresbane said. "We all,however,have agreed upon something. All we want is your permission."

Bryan wasn't surprised in the slightest. Doing something risky,brave and life-threatening were the traits of a northerner. He knew that if he told them no they would only look for a way around it or even disobey his order,if absolutely necessary. He took amusement when he realised that Whoresbane said that they wanted his persmission not needed it.

"I'll give you my permission if you go with a small garrison of men,"Bryan said with a small smile. "Though I would like to know what this something is."

All the lords glanced at each other before looking back at him. "It is not safe to talk about that something here."Rodrick said. "Then we will talk in the Council Room."Bryan said getting up.

He then turned to Isobel. "I will be gone a few moments. Please prepare dinner for me."he told her. "Yes,my lord."she replied. Giving his wife a kiss on the cheek,he turned to the lords and walked off the platform with Ghost in tow. "Let's go."he told them. They all walked out of the throne room,turned left and walked straight until they reached a door near the end of the hall on the left.

Bryan pushed the doors open and they entered the room. It was a fairly sized room with a big round table with ten chairs and a gold chandelier. Each of them sat down on a chair and settled down before Bryan spoke.

"Now,I wish for you all to tell me what you wished to tell me that couldn't be heard for others ears." "As we said before,we have devised a plan to rescue the boys from Rand."Richard said. "If you're going to rescue the boys I assume that you have a good cover up?"Bryan asked them. "We already have,your Grace."Wyman said.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"I expected nothing less from you all."Bryan said genuinely.

They all chuckled at that.

Then Wyman spoke. "Hoster will go to Ravenfield with his small garrison of men from each of us and swear fealty to Rand as I set my ship to Lannisport. He will stay there until my ship arrives at Lannisport. I will send Hoster a raven once we arrive and he'll get the boys out and go to Lannisport." "Lord Wyman,it's risky to send a raven right at Rand's doorsteps should anyone other than Hoster receive it."Bryan cautioned.

"I have already anticipated that,so I'll write the letter as though I am simply telling him of my course to Lannisport."Wyman replied. Bryan looked at Wyman with new respect.

Everyone in the north called Wyman a craven. Even Bryan's own father once joked that anything that involved courage in it would be impossible for Wyman to achieve.

_Yet here he is,making a plan that took more than courage and Wyman is going to make it possible._

"That is a brilliant plan lord and clever,one that singers shall sing of for centuries."Bryan praised. Wyman inclined his head humbly. Thank you,my lord." Bryan nodded then looked at Whoresbane. "When do you leave?" "Tomorrow morning."he replied. Bryan got up from his seat and strolled to him. He stopped before him and extended his hand. Whoresbane looked at his hand for a second then clasped his hand to Bryan's,a northerner sign of goodbye,goodluck and friendship.

"May your journey be swift and well as winter's winds."Bryan said the ancient farewell of the north solemnly. "May your time be spent with the warmth of your loved ones."Whoresbane replied. "Cold as ice."Bryan said saying his kingdom's words. "The giant always roars."Whoresbane finished. He released Bryan's hand then turned to the other lords. "I swear on my word as an Umber and northerner I will bring back your boys."he swore fiercely.

"We know you will Whoresbane."Rodrik said. "Is that all we have to discuss?"Bryan asked them. "It is all."Galbart said. "Then this meeting is at an end. Go and ready your armies. Once Whoresbane and Wyman have the boys and depart,we'll strike Ravenfield."Bryan told them. They nodded with eager smiles,bowed then filed out the Council Room.

Maegor was the last to move from her seat. She stopped herself at the door then turned to him. "Your Grace,should I contact my nephew Jorah?"she asked. "Does he not serve Daenerys Targaryen?"Bryan asked,though he made it sound more of a statement. "Aye,he does. But he may be able to get her to aid us."Maegor pointed out. _It would not be a bad idea...if we knew where the Targaryens loyalty lied._

"Do not contact him yet. I must know where the Targaryens loyalty lies before we ask them for help."Bryan told her. She nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

**Author's note: You all thought I forgot about the north and the northeners didn't you ;). So do you think their plan will go accordingly or will something or someone ruin it?**


	15. A punishing transformation

Chapter 14

A punishing transformation

The cells of Dragonstone were warm,despite being well underneath the castle and with no torches or any source of heat.

_ Perhaps the tales of Dragonstone being made from hell are true. I sure feel like I am in hell._

Three days had gone by since Gavin had tried to kill Daenerys. Three days since they were imprisoned. Midnight tried to move around but the cell wasn't large enough so he had to resort to pacing. Joseph and Gavin had not spoken to one another since they were shoved into the cell. The clanking of heavy armor signaled that a guard was coming.

He expected the guard to give them food but that wasn't the case as two guards appeared before the cell door and looked at them. "Get up. Her Grace wishes to see you both."he ordered gruffly. They forced themselves to get up on their sore and cramped legs. One of the guards opened the door and they walked out.

Instantly,five guards surrounded them with spears in their hands and pointing them at Joseph and Gavin though Midnight in particular. The panther didn't really care though. Time to time,Midnight got frustrated with the speed that they were walking and often would speed up his pace which would result in a guard roughly poking him with his spear and Midnight hissing angrily.

Joseph would get nervous every time the guards poked Midnight with their spears. Although it was much too early to say that he had a bond with the powerful and deadly beast he,no doubt,had a certain likeness and friendship with him,

After all,he did save Gavin and him from becoming ash by the dragons.

_ Though we probably only delayed that for now_ Joseph thought in dismay. He could never forget the queen's hard and unforgiving stare as she said those words.

_I'll see how they will be punished._

Since she had been recently crowned as queen he couldn't get a general idea of how she dealt with things similar to this. All he could do was hope and pray to the gods. So lost in his thoughts,he hadn't realized that he was about to walk into the throne room doors if the guard hadn't grabbed his shoulder to stop him. Joseph shook his head to clear it before looking at the guard and saying,"Thank you."

The guard stared at Joseph slightly stunned for a long moment before nodding in acknowledgement. Another guard pounded his fist against the door three times before stepping back. Mere seconds afterward the voice of the queen called,"Come in." The guard pushed open the doors then turned to them. "Walk,"he ordered. "And if you two do anything out of line,I'll gut you alive."he added darkly.

Joseph had no doubt that he would do exactly that. So he simply said,"I understand."and walked into the throne room. The lords nor queen happy to see them especially Gavin. Even the dragons were unhappy. They rose from their rest and hissed at Midnight who snarled back,fur bristling.

Once they reached the platform,Joseph knelt before them as did Gavin. The room felt like it was frozen in time. The room so quiet you could hear a pin drop,the tension so thick you could cut it with a sword. "You may rise."Daenerys finally said,her voice as cold as ice. Joseph rose up and forced himself to look at her in the face.

Despite her voice being ice cold her eyes looked as though they were made of fire. He began to fear that should he look too long into them he would be burned alive. Fire and blood were the words of the Targaryens.

_And for good reason,for they bore it well_ Joseph thought.

"Gavin,you know that killed a lord,lady,queen or king is punishable by execution. Yet you attacked lord Gregor,Asher,Naga,my father and me with the intention to kill."Daenerys said. Gavin looked at the queen stone faced. "Granted,you didn't kill them so I don't have to execute you." Joseph let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

They weren't going to die today. He could finally be at peace. "However you actions cannot go unpunished." Joseph looked at Daenerys. Her face held no emotion. No anger,no annoyance nothing.

"Therefore,as decided by us all,you will be whipped in front of everyone in the royal courtyard. One lash for every injury you caused to my knights and allies plus an additional three for the knight you killed." Joseph knew that that kind of punishment was,in a way,more than fair for what Gavin had tried to do but the thought of a person being whipped like a disobedient dog didn't sit well with him.

"When will my punishment start?"Gavin asked the queen,speaking at last. "Now."she told him,getting up fluidly. Her white dress flowed behind her as she stepped down from the platform and past them without a second glance. The lords trailed after her as well as the two dragons who growled at Midnight. The guards formed around Joseph,Midnight and Gavin forcing them to follow.

No one said a single word as they made their way to the courtyard. The queen's imposing silence frightened Joseph more than a bellowing king's loudness. He glanced sideways at Gavin to see his expression.

Gavin's face was neutral while his eyes held a heavy load of guilt and shame.

Joseph placed his hand tenderly onto Gavin's shoulder. Gavin nearly jumped,startled,but realised it was only Joseph. He looked at Joseph who was giving him a small smile hindered by sadness. Gavin placed his hand into Joseph's while giving him a tight smile. The guard closest to him didn't stop either of them but watched them closely.

Moments after they,at last,arrived to the courtyard. Knights,guards,maids and servants,as far as the eye could see,were lined in the courtyard chattering among themselves as they awaited Gavin's punishment. Upon seeing Gavin,the crowd was instantly fueled up like oil poured into a fire and they cursed both of them,mostly Gavin,and shouted insults.

In the middle of the courtyard was a tall,thick wooden pole with a string of thick brown rope and a white cloth.

Two of the guards crossed their spears in front of Joseph and Midnight,blocking them from moving any further,while they pushed Gavin forward towards the pole. The queen said something to him and he began to remove his tunic. He gave his tunic to one of the knights then waited patiently. The queen turned to the crowd and raised her hand high in the air. The crowd slowly dwindled into a tense silence,anticipation radiating off the people.

Having complete silence the queen dropped her arm before speaking.

"People of Dragonstone,Gavin Harrigan,knight of the late lord to house Lightbane,Noah,will be punished by my hand on account for attacking Lord Gregor Foresster,Asher Foresster,my father,and Naga Grirath,attempted murder and the death of Lancel Cral. One last for every injury and an additional three for Lancel's death."

The crowd cheered wildly.

Daenerys turned to one of the knights who gave her a whip. She then told Gavin something who shook his head. She said something to him and he replied. She told him something else once more and he turned around facing the pole as a guard tied his hands together then around the pole. Daenerys unfurled the whip and stared at Gavin's bare back for a few short seconds.

Then she brought her arm up over her head and back down in a quick motion,bringing right onto Gavin's back.

Joseph heard the smack of the whip against skin followed up by an ear splitting scream of agony. It was so inhuman,almost animalistic, Joseph wished he could become deaf at that very moment. Like he sensed Joseph's pain,Midnight leaned his head against Joseph's leg and purred softly.

He rubbed the panther's head,which remarkably calmed him down,then made himself look at the punishment his mentor and companion was receiving.

_I must look at this no matter how painful it is. I cannot let them see me as weak._

The queen pulled the whip towards her,raised it over her head and struck Gavin. The second scream was as bad,if not worse,as the first one. While the whipping went on,Joseph looked at the crowd for those who most likely wanted this for Gavin. His gaze stopped on Ser John. The knight was looking on at the punishment with a neutral face.

As if he sensed Joseph's gaze,he moved his until he was looking right at him and held each other's gazes. John was the first to break the gaze. He turned his head from Joseph and looked to the crowd. _He most likely wanted this yet he can't even look at this_ Joseph thought furious. He calmed himself down and looked back at Gavin.

After what felt like an eternity,the queen brought the whip down one last time onto his back then stopped. She said something to the guard who turned and untied Gavin from the pole. He slowly pushed himself up,using the pole as support. He turned looking around to the crowd until he was facing Joseph. They held one another's gaze,one filled with worry and one filled with pain.

Then the world felt like it came to a stop as Gavin's knees buckled underneath him and collapsed on the ground.

"Gavin!"Joseph cried out. He tried to run to him but the guard pressed his spear against his chest,stopping him. Midnight turned to the guard and swiped a paw at him,growling. The guard moved back,momentarily moving his spear from Joseph's chest,and gave him a chance to push the spear away and run towards Gavin not caring about the guards were saying.

He soon made it over to Gavin and gasped in horror. His entire back was covered in blood,the skin torn and welted.

"I'm sorry Gavin. I'm so sorry."he whispered,letting the tears fall down his face. He heard footsteps of either a guard or knight approaching from behind him but he did not avert his attention from the unconscious knight before him. Midnight walked towards Gavin and nudged him gently with his muzzle. Someone behind him grabbed his arms,pulled them roughly behind his back and began tying them together.

Midnight turned his gaze from Gavin to his capture,growling,and stalked forward. "Control your beast!"the man ordered. He looked at his panther and ordered,"Midnight,don't attack!"

The panther focused his gaze on him with a look that Joseph could only describe as annoyance but then growled and stepped back,his tail swishing back and forth.

"Bring Gavin and Joseph to maester Aemon."Daenerys ordered her knights. As the person hauled him up to his feet,his eyes met Daenerys'. Her gaze held nothing but sadness,guilt and pity and seeing that in her made his anger boil hotter than any flame from a dragon. Three knights carried Gavin on their shoulders and arms and the person behind him pushed him with nothing more other than,"Walk."

As he walked to the maester,he couldn't help but feel a burning rage towards the dragon queen,Daenerys.

* * *

**Author's note: I know I haven't uploaded a chapter in a while but with school and work,it's hard to find time. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. **

**Also for this chapter I would like to do something different. Since this chapter is called "A punishing transformation" I would like for all of you who are reading this to write a review on what you think this means. The person who gets it right will be announced in later chapters and they'll have the chance for**** their own G.O.T character to be in either this story or in my sequel to this. If you have questions,please P.M. me**


	16. Learn from the past 2 correct the future

Chapter 15

Learn from the past to correct the future

Stannis did not know what to think of their alliance.

He knew little of Rand RavenField to really get an idea of him or why he made an alliance with them.

He didn't like,however,being allied with the Lannisters.

_ Their sigils may be a lion but they are nothing more than snakes_ Stannis thought. But he knew that he couldn't do anything about it since he couldn't change the past. He did wish he could be anywhere but inside the Baratheon's council room where Mark and Cedric Redstone were trying to come to an agreement about dividing their lands.

Key words: Trying.

"You are not getting more than a quarter of Estermont!"Mark stated to him fiercely. The lord of Redstone rolled his eyes. "For the love of the Seven Gods,be lucky i'm not asking to have all of Estermont. Besides,why does that piece of land mean so much to you?"Cedric asked him with a sly smile.

Stannis knew why it meant so much to Mark. Estermont was their mother's home and even though both Robert and him had an iron bond with their father,Steffon Baratheon,Mark and their mother were of two peas in a pod and that land was the very few things he had to remember her by. "That land was once my mother's and I will not disgrace her by giving her lands to you."Mark told him.

Cedric's face darkened,though his voice remained leveled as he replied,"If you will not give my what I want then I'll just talk with the lord of Estermont." "Go right ahead. In fact,I will escort you there myself because I know that Lord Eldon will say the same thing as me."Mark retorted. The two lords stared at each other,silently daring the other in some silent confrontation,before Cedric closed his eyes and sighed.

"I will only take a quarter of Estermont's lands if it contains the most prosperous lands." _This bull won't give up without causing a fatal blow_ Stannis thought. "You think of me as some fool Cedric?"Mark asked. "Seven hells! Are all you Baratheons this annoying or has your antlers gotten to your head,Mark?"Cedric asked exasperated. "It's either you let me take half of Estermont or give me a quarter with your best lands."

Mark stayed silent for moments before sighing in defeat.

"You will have a quarter of Estermont with its best lands. However,you'll have to talk with lord Eldon about placement and land." Cedric nodded then got up and extended his hand to Mark who accepted it. "Let this be the start of a new friendship between the RedStones and Baratheons."Cedric said once they let go of each other's hand. "Let it be."Mark agreed despite his face suggesting otherwise.

Cedric nodded then turned and walked to the door,his knights trailing behind. The moment they were through the door Mark turned to him. "Why in the seven hells did Rand want to make an alliance with him?"he sighed. "Compared to making an alliance with the Lannisters the RedStones are more than acceptable,"Stannis deadpanned. "He better be ready for a ride of schemes and betrayal."

Mark laughed. "You really hate those Lannisters don't you."he said. "All I am saying is that we need to watch ourselves around them."Stannis stated. Mark laughed once more then rested his hand on Stannis' shoulder. "Do not worry about them Stannis. Should they try anything with us,we'll give them war."Mark told him with a grin.

Stannis resisted the urge to sigh and roll his eyes.

Most of the time after Robert's death,Stannis caught himself thinking about the similarities between Mark and Robert. He knew that Robert was unfit to be a ruler even from a young age. Brutal,heavy-drinking,fond of women and tourneys,impatient and a fighter to the bone,Robert didn't meet the requirements of a ruler especially during peacetime. And even though Stannis knew he was the best suited of the three to be a ruler,he couldn't not only because he was the youngest but also he was little loved in his homeland for being a stickler for the law and often called 'a cold,calculating man'.

Mark was,as ironic as it was since he was the middle child,a mix of Robert and Stannis. He had Robert's brutality,impatience and love for battle,as all Baratheons seemed to have,but had Stannis' sternness,calculating mind and immense sense of duty. But in times like this,he often starting becoming more of Robert than him and it made him wonder if Mark was actually fit to be a ruler.

"With all due respect my lord,confronting every problem with war or battle will be the very downfall of us Baratheons." Stannis told him matter-of-factly. "Bah,stop your worrying Stannis. After all,a Baratheon's blood thrives in the feeling of war and battle. It is the Baratheon way."Mark joked. "And that same blood will be spilled to the last drop if we continue doing things the Baratheon way."Stannis replied,frustration edging into his voice.

Mark's face contorted into annoyance.

"You know Stannis,you should really learn to loosen up once in a while. Also,don't call me 'my lord'. You're my brother and me being a lord doesn't change that." "It doesn't,"Stannis agreed. "But it would not be proper to call you that. Especially with people around. As for letting loose that is one of the highest ways to die in a world like this." Mark rubbed his temple with a long sigh.

"You are beginning to cause me a headache. Leave me brother."he ordered. Stannis nodded then left the council room. He knew that his advice and council was appreciated very little but it did not matter to him. He was not the Lannisters who wanted people to give them false council or advice they wanted to hear.

_It was one of the reasons Robert is not here today and soon Mark as well if he doesn't listen_ Stannis thought.

He knew that he didn't have any duties to complete so he decided to go to the woods to hunt. He walked through the hall towards his chamber. Once he was inside,he looked around until he found his bow and arrows,grabbed them then walked out his chamber to the stairway that leads to the bottom of the tower. He told the guards that he would be hunting for a while,encase Mark would ask for him later,before walking towards the stables.

One of the stableboys saw him approaching and bowed deeply to him. "Hello,Ser Stannis."he greeted. Stannis nodded in acknowledgement. Then walked over to the stable with his horse,WildHeart,in it. "Hello my steed."he greeted the horse,patting him softly.

The horse neighed softly in response.

He took the reins and lead him out the stables before saddling himself on. He gave WildHeart a little kick on his flank and they galloped away from Storm's End towards the woods,letting the cool wind whistle past his face. Minutes afterward,he finally made it the woods. He pulled the reins,forcing WildHeart to a stop,then got off and lead him towards a tree and tied the reins tightly around one of the lower tree branches.

Once he was sure the reins were securely tied,he turned from his horse,readied his bow and arrow and walked deeper into the forest. He relished in the peace and comfortable silence that encased the entire woods thinking how much simpler life would be if it was quiet and sincere as the woods. Five minutes later,he finally found an adult male deer nibbling on some grass. It was tall and broad with sandy colored fur,white underbelly and tall,brown,proud antlers on top of its head._ A perfect animal for this hunt_ Stannis thought.

He slowly and quietly placed his arrow into his bow then readied it. A tiny creak echoed off the string of the bow and the deer's head shot up and looked right at him.

Neither man nor beast moved as they both stared at each other.

Then the deer snorted and turned its whole body so that it was facing him and pawned at the ground. _It's planning on fighting me!_ Stannis realised in shock. Of all the times he ever hunted,he never remembered a single one of his prey turning to him wanting to fight.

_It's a fighter to the bone...just like Robert was._

The deer bellowed then charged towards him. Calm as ever,Stannis lowered his bow so it was pointing at the deer's chest and released the arrow. It made its mark. The deer neighed loudly as its legs buckled underneath it and tumbled hard into the ground. Stannis walked over to the deer,knelt down and looked at it closely.

Blood stained the sandy and white fur of the deer as the arrow struck out of its chest. Its eyes were glossed over and one of its antlers were chipped. He placed his hand on the deer's neck. The way the deer had turned to fight him instead of running reminded him so much of Robert.

The way he was the very day he had died.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Stannis was standing inside his eldest brother's chamber as Robert was preparing for the battle against the RedStones. "Robert,it isn't too to make a deal with Carac."Stannis had said as the squires placed on Robert's breastplate. "Stannis,for the last time,I will not make a deal with the bullhead."Robert said firmly taking his warhammer from one of the squires._

_ "Why must everything we do have to end in battle?"Stannis protested. It had annoyed him greatly that Robert wouldn't at the very least try and deal with things peacefully. "Because we're Baratheons Stannis! It is how we deal with things! Seven hells,it's even in our words!"Robert yelled annoyedly as he glared at his younger brother._

_ "So simply because we're Baratheons you think every time we have a problem,the answer is battle or war? That is a simple-minded way of thinking even for you Robert."Stannis retorted. Robert fully turned to Stannis and walked towards him until they were inches apart. Close enough that Stannis could smell the faint scent of alcohol that meant Robert had been drinking earlier. _

_The squires nervously looked back and forth between Robert and him but didn't dare intervene. "Listen here Stannis. We may be brothers but you will address me with the required respect any lord is due."he growled. _

_Stannis grimaced then inclined his head. "Of course my mighty lord,"he replied mockingly. "Though that title will be short lived should you go on with this foolery." Robert's eyes blazed with rage but he simply turned away and snatched his helmet from the squire. _

_"You would love that wouldn't you?"Robert sneered. "To have me eliminated so you'd only be one person away from being lord." Anger flared within Stannis but he didn't respond to the obvious bait,though he knew part of what Robert had said was true. He watched as Robert walked towards his chamber doors but stopped and slowly turned to Stannis. _

_"I have only one order for you Stannis. Keep Mark safe and always be there for him."Robert said. Stannis went to say something when he saw the flood of sadness in Robert's bright blue eyes. Why in the Seven hells is Robert sad? Does he feel sorry about what he just said or is it something else? Stannis thought confused. _

_"As you wish,my lord."Stannis replied dryly. Robert looked at him for a long moment then sighed and placed his helmet over his head. Stannis could've sworn that he heard Robert whisper,"I love you brother."as he left his chamber and never came back._

* * *

Stannis stared at the dead deer below him with a tight,sad smile. "You were always a brutal,impatient,stubborn fool Robert. You were a terrible lord and always would be. But you were my eldest brother and always will be."

He could feel the tears well up in his eyes and,for the first time in his life,he let them show.

"I know that i'll never be able to hear you say these words back to me but I want you to know that...I love you and I always did,no matter how much we fought or disagreed. I promise to always look out and be there for Mark." He lowered his head onto the deer's head and let himself cry over the loss of his brother.

Over the arguments they always had.

Over the very last memory he will ever have of the two of them.

* * *

**Author's note: This chapter actually made me shed a tear. I know that Stannis and Robert don't actually love one another or ever did but I decided to change their relationship up a little bit for the way I want this story to go. Also,so far no one has P.M me about the question on the last chapter. If any of you guys want one of your own characters featured in either this story or my sequel to this,you have to guess what the title for the last chapter meant. And I will be putting up an Appendix so you can easily know which knight serve which ruler and stuff like that.**


	17. Announcement

**Announcement **

**Hello everyone. I hope you all are staying safe during this whole pandemic. For those of you who have been reading this story,you know that I haven't posted a chapter in a while. Unfortunately,due to a lack of motivation and writer's block,this story will be put on hold. I will be continuing this story sometime in the future but until then no chapters will be posted. With that,I would like to thank all of you for your supporting and kind reviews as well as reading this story.**


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